Pizza, Love, and all Things Troublesome
by FaeSoDivine
Summary: And so they realized that they just might like each other. Logically, they got together, established a relationship, yadda yadda. The only problem is an intruding mutt who in all honesty has nothing better to do with his life. [ShikamaruXTemari]
1. Chapter 1

**The least I can do is inform you that I will indeed be finishing this story. Might take awhile, but I will finish it. SO read and review, ne?**

**Edit: I fixed this chapter up, mostly with quotation errors. I might have changed some words around, but over all its the same chapter as the original. **

* * *

"I don't understand you anymore, Shikamaru." Akimichi Chouji took a break from talking to munch on some chips. He swallowed. "I mean, I never _really_ understand you, but you're looking distant. I mean, you always look distant, but-"

"Chouji, be quiet," Nara Shikamaru said in a bored voice, looking up to glance at his best friend. "You're babbling."

"Oh, yeah, well I tend to do that sometimes," replied Chouji, swinging his legs over the edge of the roof. He looked to his side at Shikamaru who was lying backwards with his hands behind his head. "What are you thinking about?"

Shikamaru closed his eyes. _Why tell Chouji what I'm thinking about?_ he thought. _It's too troublesome to explain anything to him_. "Nothing," he replied eventually. He sat up and looked at the sun briefly before standing up.

"Shikamaru, what are you doing?" Chouji finished eating the last of his chips and looked up at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru yawned. "It's troublesome…but I have to go escort that Sand-nin to the Hokage Tower." He stretched his arms and yawned again.

"Temari?" Chouji asked, secretly feeling sorry for Shikamaru. Temari had a reputation for being rudely aggressive and made a habit of hitting Shikamaru over the head with her fan in greeting.

"Of course. See you," Shikamaru said before taking a jump off the roof and landing on another one. He took off sprinting at ninja-speed over the roof tops.

Chouji shook his head; he'd would never, ever figure out how Shikamaru's mind worked.

-----

"You're late."

A swift bump in his head was his greeting. He scowled in his lazy way and commenced in rubbing his head, eyeing the blonde Suna kunoichi warily. " I am not."

"You are. Look at the time; it's a minute past four," Sabaku no Temari said, strapping the fan to her back. She smirked.

"Troublesome woman….." mumbled Shikamaru as he turned on his feet. " Are you coming?"

Temari scoffed at him but didn't answer. She merely followed behind the lazy Konoha-nin. She had traveled almost three days to get to Konoha, and she was tired. However, being the trained ninja she is, she didn't show her fatigue at all and trudged along behind Shikamaru with a spring in her step.

Their trip to the Hokage's Tower took less than fifteen minutes. Once arrived, Shikamaru leaned against the building outside. "How long is this meeting going to take you?" he asked, eyes closed.

"Around an hour. You better be here _and_ awake when I get back. Or else," Temari replied before giving him a dark look and turning on her heel. Shikamaru watched her as she walked into the building, his eyes sliding down…

"That's _Temari_ you're checking out."

Shikamaru jumped and looked to his side where he sighted Inuzuka Kiba leaning against the wall. He scowled at him. " I was _not_ checking her out."

"You like older women?" Kiba asked, leaning his head to the side to stare at Shikamaru quizzically.

"Wha-No!"

"So you like younger woman?"

"No-I!"

"Do you like women at all?"

"_Yes,"_ Shikamaru hissed out, glaring at the dog-boy.

"Dude, relax. I was just teasing you," said Kiba as he noticed the dark look on his friend's face.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes before deciding the whole thing was just too troublesome. He slid down the wall until he was sitting down and closed his eyes. "What're you doing here?" he asked Kiba, without looking up.

"Oh, you know. Akamaru is at the vet's office and that place gives me the creeps," Kiba said, looking up at a window in the Hokage's Tower. "Just walking around the village. And then I saw _you_ checking out the Kazekage's sister." He snickered at the thought.

"I wasn't.." Shikamaru sighed, not finishing his sentence.

"Yeah, whatever," Kiba said. He looked down at the street and saw a ramen stand. "Want to go get some ramen?"  
Shikamaru's eyes widened at the mere thought of leaving. "No," he said quickly.

"Why not? You taking Temari out to dinner or something?" Kiba whined, sounding childish.

"N-" Shikamaru stopped in mid-word. Should he really let Kiba know that he couldn't leave for fear of a woman kicking his ass to Suna and back again? Maybe he should just lie…or…"Yes."

"_What_? For real? No joke?" Kiba's jaw dropped in surprise. "You're taking _Temari of the Sand _out to dinner?"

"Yes." He closed his eyes, wondering how he was going to explain that to Temari. _Now she _will_ kick my ass_, he thought in agony.

But, a man like Shikamaru has his pride…

"Dude, that is awesome! You're taking out the hottest kunoichi ever!" Kiba suddenly smirked. "And _you_ said you didn't like older women."

Shikamaru sighed, knowing he was digging himself a deeper hole. "I like older women."

"Then, you were lying! Man, I'm so telling the Shino this!" Kiba grinned excitedly.

Shikamaru didn't bother to mention that Shino would probably not care for the 'news'. "You do that.."

"I will!"

"Go now. I'm sure Shino is dying to hear."

"I'm sure he is!"

"_Now_."

"Okay. See you, Shikamaru!" Kiba ran off quickly without giving another look.

Once Kiba was out of sight, Shikamaru closed his eyes. _I am in so much trouble_, he thought. _Temari is going to kick my ass. _

His eyes flickered open as an idea flickered on his mind. He thought a moment before checking a pocket in his Jounin vest for a pouch full of money. He had roughly enough money for four bowls of miso ramen. "I'll just have to ask her to dinner," he finally said out loud.

And he blushed.

He looked around to see if anyone noticed his reddened cheeks. In truth, Shikamaru was looking forward to asking Temari out to dinner. For some reason, she had been on his mind lately. Maybe that was why Chouji was saying he seemed more distant.

After awhile of sitting there, he felt his eyes getting heavy. He yawned and closed his eyes before he heard a door opening. He quickly opened his eyes again and jumped up, leaning against the wall looking casual.

Temari walked up to him with a smirk on her face, satisfied with her accomplished meeting. She stopped by his side and said, "Well, Pineapple-head, I'm surprised you're not asleep." Truthfully, she had already figured Shikamaru had taken her "Or else" to heart, and wasn't at all surprised to see him standing up, wide awake. Well, as wide awake as he could get. His eyes tended to give people the impression that he was always half asleep. And that little pout on his lips….

Temari shook her head, clearing her thoughts from her mind. She looked up at Shikamaru - when did he get so tall?- and noticed he was nervously looking back down at her."What?"

"Oh, um.." Shikamaru fumbled over his words. "I was..You…This is troublesome." He sighed.

"Well?" Temari crossed her arms over her chest and lifted an eyebrow. Since when was The Genius at a loss of words?

"Do you want to go to dinner with me? Some ramen?" Shikamaru asked in one breath. He let out a breath of air, but quickly bit the inside of his lip as he imagined Temari beating him up.

But her answer surprised him.

"Sure. As long as you're paying." She had a smug look on her face as she noticed Shikamaru's surprised look.

"Yes?" _Well, as long as she doesn't beat me up_, he thought. _**And**__ I didn't lie to Kiba…Wait, she said __**yes**_

"Yes. Are you deaf or something?"

"No.."

"Are we going?" Temari tapped her foot impatiently.

"Yeah…" Shikamaru turned around and started walking.

-----

"I want three bowls of miso ramen," Temari said before looking to her side at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru inwardly sighed, but he wasn't going to eat a lot, anyway. "Same, one bowl." He shifted his eyes to look at Temari who was watching him intensely. "What?""Why did you ask me here?"

Shikamaru knew that question was coming, but decided not to answer as he saw Kiba and what looked like fifty- okay, _ten_- other people walk up to the stand. They all crowded in a corner as best as they could, which wasn't that good. The stand was small, and someone ended up sitting on the previously empty seat beside Temari.

They all immediately started chattering and pointing at Temari and Shikamaru.

Temari dropped her question and turned around to look at the commotion. She ended up looking into the face of Aburame Shino.

"Hello," said Shino.

"Uh, hi," said Temari, surprised. She leaned her head back a little to avoid colliding into Shino's face.

"Is it true Shikamaru asked you out?" questioned the bug-master, his expression hidden by his hood and dark sunglasses.

"What!? I did _not_ ask her out!" Shikamaru exclaimed after hearing the words exchanged between Temari and Shino. He heard someone say "Oops" and immediately knew who told Shino the false information. "_Kiba_."

"Whaaat?" Kiba's head poked out from behind Hyuuga Hinata, who was sitting by Uzumaki Naruto, who was sitting by Shino.

"You are so troublesome," Shikamaru told him with a death glare.

Kiba sighed than said loudly, "I was lying; Shikamaru didn't ask Temari out."

Everyone groaned, but than Naruto started talking, "But he asked her out to ramen! That must mean he likes her!" In Naruto's mind, asking someone out to ramen is the greatest sign of affection.

"Likes me?" said Temari

'Oohs', and 'Aws' were exchanged before Rock Lee's voice piped up. "Shikamaru loves Temari! What youth, love is!"

"Love?" said Temari

A squeal was heard as Yamanaka Ino shouted, "I knew he had the hots for her!"

"_Hots_ for me?" said Temari.

"When's the wedding?" Tenten asked, clapping her hands excitedly.

"_Wedding?"_ Temari turned to Shikamaru with a glare on her face. "What the hell are they talking about?" she asked through gritted teeth.

Shikamaru sighed and dropped his head. His friends were so troublesome. "I didn't say any of that stuff. Kiba's miniscule mind made it up," he said, ignoring Kiba's protest. "I only asked you out to ramen."

Temari's glare vanished. "Why _did_ you ask me out to ramen?"

Suddenly, everyone jumped from their seats, saying they were late for something. A second later, the ramen booth was empty except for Shikamaru, Temari, and four bowls of steaming ramen.

"Uh.." Shikamaru cleared his throat nervously as Temari pulled a bowl to her. She broke her chopsticks apart and started eating, all the while staring at him.

"Well?" Temari examined his face closely, looking for any signs of what he was thinking. The only thing his face showed was his lazy attitude.

"You're very troublesome.." Shikamaru said eventually, pulling his bowl towards him and lazily beginning to eat.

She left it at that, and continued to eat.

-----

"Pick me up at my embassy house tomorrow at nine. You're escorting me around the village tomorrow," Temari said, putting a scroll in his hand. She gave him a satisfied smirk and continued walking.

"Oh, man…I don't get up until ten," moaned Shikamaru, opening the scroll. It read:

_Genius!_

_Pick Temari up at exactly nine o' clock tomorrow! Show her the village and all the popular places, or you're dead!_

_Tsunade_

Groaning, Shikamaru walked beside Temari. She was looking up ahead the street at a small group standing in front of a store. "What's going on there?" she asked, shielding her eyes against the sun to get a better look.

Shikamaru sighed, wondering if Kiba and his minions had recruited even more people to harass Temari and him. "Who cares?"

Temari didn't answer, as she had already made it up to the small group. She tapped somebody on the shoulder, and the person turned around.

"What?" asked Hyuuga Neji. He had an irritated look on his face. "Go away."

"_Excuse _me, did you just tell _me_ to go away?" the Suna kunoichi glared angrily at the white-eyed boy. People just don't tell her to go away.

Her loud voice made a few other people turn around. "Temari! Congratulations!" squealed Ino as she ran to hug her.

Temari could feel her eye twitching. She pushed the noisy girl away from her. People just don't hug her.

But, apparently, people didn't know that, for Haruno Sakura and Tenten ran over to her squealing and hugged her as well. Hinata stood by shyly and mumbled, "Congratulations."

By then, Shikamaru had made it to the group to witness Temari being hugged to death by Ino, Sakura, and Tenten. "What the hell is going on here?" he asked in a lazy voice, stretching out the word 'here'.

"Guys, be careful! You could hurt the baby! Dattebayo!" yelled Naruto.

"WHAT BABY?" Temari pushed the girls away.

"Aren't you pregnant? With Shikamaru's kid?" asked Sakura, tilting her head to the side.

It took Shikamaru and Temari a moment to catch their voices.

"_Who _the_ hell _came up with that idea?" yelled Temari as Shikamaru said, "_Kiba!"_

"Oops," Kiba's voice came from the middle of the circle.

"You better think oops, Dog-Boy," growled Temari as she pushed her way to the middle of the crowd.

"Um, yeah, I WAS LYING!" Kiba vanished in a poof of smoke.

The people around groaned and walked away.

"Shikamaru," Temari eventually said, turning to him.

"What?" He didn't like the look in her eye.

"Nothing." She hit him in the head with her fan and walked away.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Oh my darling, Oh my darling, Oh my darling Clementine..._**

**Those are the words going through my head at this exact moment. Know why? Because the lyrics are so depressing I love them to pieces. (Notice that this is entirely irrelevent to the story.)**

**Edit: I fixed this chapter up a it, mostly with quotation errors. I might have changes some words around, but overa all its the same chapter as the origional.**

* * *

"Why are you always late?" Temari brought her fan down onto his head. 

Shikamaru grumbled and rubbed the lump on his head. "I told you I don't get up early."

"Excuses, excuses. Let's go," Temari said, walking away from the shade of the door and into the street. Shikamaru followed, still rubbing his head.

He didn't think he could stand spending a whole day with Temari- or maybe he could. Despite the pain of being hit every time he said something wrong, she was an interesting person to be around with. And, of course, she's a beautiful women and….

Shikamaru shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He had Temari on his mind. Simple as that. He dreamed of her last night, and he thought of her this morning while he was putting his hair up in a ponytail. _Maybe I'm sick_.., he thought to himself, glancing to his side at Temari.

Her face was framed against the sun's golden glare, and her eyes sparkled as she looked down the street at an outdoor market. "We're going over there," she said, not really looking at Shikamaru. A rare grin crossed her face.

_Or maybe I'm not. _He thought she looked pretty in the sun. Very pretty. He stared at her as she looked ahead, thinking about how lately he seemed to be thinking about her a lot.

Temari turned her head quickly, a frown now taken the place of her smile. She stopped walking. "You're staring at me." Either she was angry, or she was blushing, because a very pink hue crossed over her tanned skin.

Shikamaru stopped walking as well. "No, I wasn't, troublesome woman." He dropped his gaze. She knew he was staring at her, so what was the point of lying? Besides that, why was she making a big deal out of it?

"Yes, you were. I saw you, genius!" Her purple kimono rustled as she put her hands on her hips. "Why were you staring at me?".

Shikamaru blushed.

_Okay, that didn't just happen_, Temari decided in her mind. She _didn't _just see Shikamaru blushing. She didn't. So, she started walking again, looking down at the dirt path. For some reason, seeing Shikamaru blush made her heart beat faster. Or was it just looking at him that made her heart beat so fast?  
Temari stopped thinking as she heard someone shout. She looked up and saw Kiba, the dog-boy, running down the street to him. His enormous dog, Akamaru, followed him. "Hey, Temari-san! Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru and Temari stopped walking as Kiba and Akamaru came to a halt in front of them. He gasped for breath before he said, "I saw that!"

Temari and Shikamaru raised their eyebrows.

"Shikamaru, you were checking Temari out again!" Kiba yelled excitedly, his brown hair falling over his eyes.

Temari slowly looked at Shikamaru, malice written on her face. "_Again_?"

Shikamaru sighed. He had hardly begun his day, and already Temari was wanting to kick his ass.

Kiba looked eagerly in between the pair.

"Shikamaru."

Shikamaru looked at her. "Yeah?"  
Temari grinned. It wasn't a smile, or a frown, and it was nice. "You were checking me out."

Shikamaru shook his head. "No, troublesome women, I wasn't." His face was flushed.

"Then why did Dog-Boy say you were?!" Temari's smile was instantly replaced by a glare. She didn't quite appreciate Shikamaru telling her he _wasn't _checking her out. For some reason.

"Because…" Shikamaru looked at her. His face was set in a determined frown. "I was looking at a pimple on your face, hence his thinking I was checking you out. You are _so _troublesome."

Temari and Kiba's jaws dropped. "A _pimple_!?" they yelled at the same time.

Shikamaru nodded.

"_You. Fool." _Temari once again brought her fan down on to Shikamaru's head.

------

"Troublesome.. Vegetable stand….Ramen bar…." Shikamaru yawned and continued his dialogue. " Then the book shop…there's some people…This is boring.." He wasn't doing a good job at showing Temari the village places. In fact, he was doing a very _bad_ job. He wasn't even talking in full sentences.

"Hey, genius, stop talking if you aren't going to talk properly," Temari said, reaching for her fan.

"Ah-no!" Shikamaru didn't want to suffer a third hit in less than two hours. " Um, the vegetable stand produces fresh vegetables every day. During winter, the owners grow the food indoors…"

Temari smiled. She had an advantage over Shikamaru. But, as she tuned out Shikamaru's babbling, she wondered if maybe Shikamaru had an advantage over _her. _He _does_ have the Kagemane Jutsu..He _is_ genius…Temari shook her head again, looking back at Shikamaru. " You can quit babbling now."

Shikamaru heaved a sigh of relief. It was an effort to talk in full sentences. And, besides, it wasn't like Temari was actually listening to him. She had seemed to be thinking about other things. Of course, Shikamaru wouldn't of stopped babbling until she told him to. He was sure she would of hit him again.

The pair walked a few minutes in silence before Temari spoke.

"Gaara called me 'sister' the other day."

"Ah?" Shikamaru looked at her. His surprised look broke his lazy façade.

Temari widened her eyes; she was just thinking out loud. However, maybe Shikamaru would listen to her. They had become good friends over the years..And he did understand her predicament about growing up with a brother with a demon inside of him. She eventually nodded, also thinking that Shikamaru would be too lazy to interrupt her.

I gave him a scroll I had obtained from the Lightning Village. He looked at me and said ' Thank you, sister.'"

"Ah.." Shikamaru glanced at her and saw her eyes were sort of watery. "Are you crying?"  
"No!" Temari swiped her sleeve over her eyes. "I had dust in my eyes.."

Shikamaru looked at her. The both of them had stopped walking. "So, he's a good kazekage, eh?"

"Oh, yeah," Temari said, putting her arm by her side. "He listens to people, and treats the villagers with respect. He is way better than our father ever was. And he's being more social with Kankurou and me."

They somehow found themselves sitting down on a park bench. Temari continued talking, and Shikamaru was listening intently." The other day, I saw him smile. He has a nice smile. I wish he would smile more."

Shikamaru nodded, thinking that would be a nice replacement for Gaara's usual frowning face. He listened to her talking, putting in comments every now and then, enjoying the moment. Temari had a nice voice; it was very calming listening to her speak. Her voice reminded him of a bird's song in the early twilight hours.

However, all to soon did the moment pass. There was a bright flash and a 'click' and Temari and Shikamaru were blinded.

"Wha!?" Shikamaru rubbed his eyes and looked around him, only to see the world was dressed in polka dots.

"What the hell was that!?" Temari said, shaking her head and reaching for her fan. "Are we under attack?"

"Nope! Well, yes. Actually, not really," came a voice. Temari and Shikamaru looked up to see Kiba and Shino.

Temari stood up and slung her fan around until it was in front of her. She slammed it heavily on to the ground and leaned on it, looking pissed-off. " What now?" Behind her, Shikamaru stood up, prepared to capture the two with their own shadows if the situation was called upon.

"Nothing, I swear! So don't try to kill me! Please!" Kiba shoved Shino in front of him for a shield. He whispered something into Shino's ear, than scurried away.

Temari acted as if to run after him, but Shino held up his hand. Temari raised an eyebrow before an amused smirk crossed her face.

"What is it?"

"Kiba would like to say that he has gone into hiding for precisely two days. During the course of said time, you shall not be getting tormented endlessly by us mindless shinobi who think that you two are secret lovers," he said in a monotone voice.

Temari and Shikamaru looked puzzled.

"Oh, and you _are_ staying in Konoha for that amount of time, right?" he questioned Temari.

She nodded slowly in answer.

"Very well. Kiba expresses his gratitude to you for not killing him." Shino turned as if to go, but then stopped. "And that flash…?"

Temari and Shikamaru nodded.

"You never saw it. The results will come in a few days.." He walked away.

It took a moment for Shikamaru and Temari to find their voices. "What …the hell..was that?" asked Shikamaru.

Temari shrugged. She strapped her fan to her back and turned towards Shikamaru. "That mutt is planning something," she said.

Shikamaru nodded in agreement. " And Shino is his henchman. I wonder what they are planning..." He sighed and sat back down on the bench, scowling and putting his hands behind his head. " This is so troublesome."

" Did you hear what he said?" Temari asked suddenly. She sat down beside Shikamaru and stared at him intently.

"He, as in…?"

"Shino. That bug-nin."

"The part about the 'mindless shinobi that think we are secret lovers'?"

"Yes."

Shikamaru nodded, then leaned back and looked up at the big, blue sky dotted with fluffy, white clouds. He sighed and glanced over at Temari who was looking down at her hands. "We're apparently secret lovers."

"Screw you, Shikamaru," Temari hissed. She stood up and stomped away, her cheeks blushing red.

It took a moment for him to realize that Temari disappeared.

"Ah, Temari….You troublesome woman…" Shikamaru lazily got up from his comfortable position and walked after her.

-----

Shikamaru sat down at a local pizza store and sighed. He had looked all over Konoha for Temari and had yet to find her. He eventually gave up, figuring she would come back sooner or later, and had decided to find a place to eat. He found the Sanburo Pizza Shop, which was basically copying the foods non-shinobi villages eat.

The shop was small; almost like a ramen bar. The shop was in a circle shape and a long table stretched around the front half of the shop. Shikamaru had picked a seat on the last seat on the right. He looked up to see a cook flipping a dough circle into the air then looked back down at the table, lost in thought.

"Shikamaru."

Shikamaru looked up. There was Temari, sitting right beside him. He groaned. "Where have you been, troublesome woman?"

Temari rolled her eyes. "If you must know, I've been at an outdoor market." She motioned to a few bags on the ground then looked across the counter at the cook.

Shikamaru dropped his head onto the counter. "I thought Tsunade was going to kick my ass for loosing you. You are so troublesome."

"I think you mentioned that a few times," Temari said, not even glancing at him. A waiter came up and asked what kind of pizza they wanted. "Pineapple pepperoni," Temari said, not bothering to ask Shikamaru what he wanted. Shikamaru didn't care, though; that was his favorite type of pizza.

It was silent for a few moments before Temari spoke, "Sorry for running off earlier." She was looking in front of her at the cook as he decorated the raw dough with ingredients.

Shikamaru lifted his head off the table and glanced at her. What he saw was Temari of the Sand blushing. He looked back down at the table and sighed. "Whatever," he said. "I don't see why you were so upset over Shino's comment, though."

Temari mumbled something to him. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling, wondering if his life had changed somehow since the Suna kunoichi came into his life. " Say that again, troublesome woman?"

Temari turned to look at him. "I thought you were a genius, Shikamaru. Figure it out."

Shikamaru looked at her face and all that he could read of her expression was…sadness. He almost wanted to reach to her and stroke her cheek, telling her everything would be okay. But, he shook his head and looked down at the table as the pizza was sat down in front of them.

Temari sighed and picked up a piece. She put it on a plate in front of Shikamaru, then got her own piece. Slowly and thoughtfully, the pair of shinobi started eating.

-----

Shikamaru leaned against a building as Temari talked to a woman behind a table. They had made it to the outdoor market after eating, and now Temari was talking about the beads the skilled craft-makers made nimbly. While Shikamaru looked on, he decided that Temari's exotic beads brought out of a pocket in her kimono were much more beautiful than the plain wooden beads of Konoha.

The beads of Suna were made only by the best in the village. Being a skilled bead maker was a privilege in the Land of Sand. At least, that's what Shikamaru gathered as he listened to the women talking.

"Here, you can keep one," Temari told the woman. She placed a single beautiful bead on the table and put the rest in her pocket. "It was a pleasure to meet you," Temari said, bowing slightly. "Thank you." She turned around and motioned to Shikamaru to follow her.

Shikamaru sighed and walked after Temari. He got to her side and noticed Temari had a strange look on her face.

"What is it?" He asked her with a puzzled face.

Temari looked up at him and said simply, "I thought the Konoha beads would be much prettier than mine. Your village isn't all that it's cracked up to be."

Shikamaru suddenly chuckled. Temari looked up, surprised. She stopped walking and put her hands on her hips as Shikamaru finished laughing. "What?"

Shikamaru smiled before reaching up and rubbing his head. He started walking. " Nothing. Your face just looked funny."

"My face?" she walked after him, with a pouting look on her face. "What do you mean my face looked funny?"

"Troublesome woman, you looked so serious," Shikamaru said. He glanced down at her and froze in his steps. Temari was looking back up at him with big, shining eyes. He felt like his heart stopped for a second. But the moment passed as Temari looked down at the ground and started walking again. Shikamaru walked after her.

"Do you like pizza?"

"Yes," Temari glanced at him. " I ate it, didn't I?"

"Yes, but," Shikamaru frowned. He didn't quite know what he was saying. "Do you like _pineapple _pizza?"

"I ate it," Temari narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you getting at?"

Shikamaru shrugged then sighed. He thought that his day had been going relatively good (asides from three bumps in the head and loosing Temari) and decided to take a chance at luck.

Do you want to..eat lunch again with me tomorrow?" He said it quickly, and was actually surprised he had the guts to ask her. He suspected Temari to, say, hit him on the head again, but was actually astonished to hear her answer.

"Of course, Shikamaru, As long as you're there at twelve o'clock sharp. I have to go to a meeting tomorrow at the Hokage's office." She kept her eyes on the ground, then looked up at him. "But you have to escort me anyway, so never mind."

Shikamaru nodded. He rubbed his head, as if he had a headache, and looked off to his side at a clothing stand. "The clothes are handmade and are really fashionable for older people.." he said, steering Temari to the stand.

Temari looked up at him and smirked. "So you _can_ do your job without me having to threaten you."

Shikamaru shrugged.. "Although it's troublesome, I am full of surprises." He continued on with his monologue, smiling.


	3. Chapter 3

**There is no real reason why Kiba is an annoying twit.**

**Edit: I fixed this chapter up a bit, mostly with quotation errors. I might have changed some words around, but overall its the same chapter as the origional.**

* * *

Shikamaru sighed and groggily opened his eyes. He glanced over at a clock and saw he had ten minutes to pick Temari up at her embassy house. He groaned and sat up. "Sometimes it's troublesome to be so lazy.." he murmured to himself, imagining the pain of getting beat up -_again_- by Temari. 

He quickly changed into his clothes then put his hair in a ponytail. He looked in the mirror and decided he looked fine enough. _I'm only escorting Temari to a meeting…_he thought to himself as he trudged down the stairs. It's not like he had to look all fancy. _But I'm also taking her out on a date._

Shikamaru's steps halted.

"I'm taking Temari out on a date," he said out loud, as if realization hit him.

"Good for you, Son. It's about time you got yourself a woman."

Shikamaru sighed and looked in the kitchen doorway where Shikaku, his father, was standing munching on an apple. "Yeah, whatever. I have to go." He continued walking.

Suddenly, he was stopped as a shadow enveloped him. He groaned, halted on the wooden floor of his hallway. "Dad, let me go. I'm going to be late."

"Now wait a minute, Shikamaru." His father said, grinning with his hands up in the familiar hand sign associated with the Kagemane jutsu. "Now that you have a woman to take care of, you will need a house of your own."

"Daaad," Shikamaru groaned. "It's not like that, I'm only taking her to lunch -"

His father interrupted him. "And then to dinner and before you know it you will be married with children. Besides, Shikamaru, your mother and I have already decided you are just too old to live with your parents."

" Daaad…"

Shikaku canceled the jutsu. "We will more about it later. Now have a good time." He grinned and waved at his son before walking off.

Shikamaru groaned. _My parents are so troublesome.. _

He ran out the door, remembering his having to meet Temari.

-----------

Shikamaru flinched and waited for the impact of Temari's fan hitting his head. When he felt nothing, he looked at her with raised eyebrows. Temari shrugged. " You're on time. For once."

He sighed and started walking. Temari followed him without hesitation, noting how grumpier than usual he seemed. "What's up?" she asked him.

Shikamaru frowned slightly. "Nothing."

Temari scoffed and raised an eyebrow. "Obviously something is wrong with you, or I wouldn't be asking you. Now talk, or else your ass will be kicked into next week."

Shikamaru groaned before glancing at her slightly. "My parents are kicking me out of the house."

Temari laughed shortly before saying, "You still live with your parents?"

Shikamaru groaned again. He looked back down at his feet. _She thinks I'm a kid_, he thought to himself. He didn't answer her.

"Why?" Temari said after a few seconds of silence.

"Why what?"

"You know what!"

"They think I'm too old to live with them." Shikamaru mumbled grudgingly. "And..." He didn't continue with his sentence.

"Don't make me pull out the fan," Temari said shortly.

"And they think I'm dating you, so _obviously_ I need my own house," he finished quickly.

Temari was silent for a few seconds before she said, "Your whole village thinks we're dating." Shikamaru cringed, expecting her to explode in anger or something like that. Instead, all he heard was Temari's bell-like laughter.

"Woman, don't you understand that the whole situation is troublesome?" Shikamaru said, rolling his eyes towards the sky.

"Oh, yeah, it's very troublesome," Temari said with an exaggerated sigh. "And it is also very funny."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows. "Funny?"

"Sometimes I wonder if you are really a genius," Temari sighed out, rolling her eyes. She continued walking beside Shikamaru.

"I don't quite have the same train of thought as you," Shikamaru murmured. He glanced at Temari to see her grinning.

"We don't look like a couple," Temari said simply.

Shikamaru tilted his head to the side, but didn't say anything. He merely thought about what Temari said while they continued walking. _Temari is right. We are total opposites, and practically hate each other. Why do people think we are a couple? _he wondered before sighing as found the answer to his own question. _I'm a genius, I should know this._

They arrived at the Hokage's Tower and Temari walked inside without saying anything, leaving Shikamaru outside by himself.

_It is __**because **__we are total opposites…._He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall.

_And I kind of like her….._

He smirked to himself.

_--------_

"Shikamaru, wake up."

He opened one eye and saw Temari peering down at him. He yawned and opened his other eye. "Don't kill me when I'm down," he murmured before yawning again.

Temari scoffed but stood back as Shikamaru stood up. He eyed the scroll in her hand. "Well?"

She smirked and handed the scroll to him. "Read it."

He groaned and took the scroll.

_Shiiiikamaru!_

_I hear you and Temari are becoming QUITE good friends. Hehehe.._

_Anyway, to business: Temari is leaving in two days. So, the rest of her stay you will show her the rest of the elements of the village. The next time she comes back to Konoha, you two will conduct plans for the next Chuunin exams._

_And Good Luck with her._

_-wink-_

_Signed, _

_Godaime Tsunade, yo._

He slowly shut the scroll than put it in his kunai pouch. He scowled in irritation.

"Even your Hokage thinks we're a couple," Temari remarked, looking up at the sky. " It must be something to do with you taking me out to lunch." She said it too innocently, Shikamaru had to draw his gaze to her.

"You told Tsunade-sama I'm taking you out to lunch?"

"More like..she asked me where you were taking me today, and I answered. Obviously she wanted to know if you are taking me willingly." She eyed him carefully. " I mean, you _do_ have a reputation for being..lazy."

Shikamaru's scowl vanished and was replaced by an almost nervous look as he remembered he was supposed to be taking Temari to lunch. Temari raised her eyebrows. " What?"

"Um, lunch..Pizza place.." Shikamaru murmured, looking down.

"Oh, yeah. Well, take me," Temari said, remembering their 'date'.

"Sure.." Shikamaru innocently took her hand and started walking.

----------------

Temari glared at Shikamaru. She glared at him while ordering their food. She glared at him while the cooker set the pizza pan in front of them, and she glared at him while they ate. She even glared at his retreating form as he excused himself to the nearest restroom, just to get away from her horrendous Evil Eye. Seated on a sink, his back to a wall, he thought that Temari could see through walls, and maybe she was still glaring at him.

Shikamaru was noticeably scared when he returned to his seat. Temari was sipping on a cup of tea, glaring at him. Shikamaru gulped and let out a nervous laugh.

If it was possible, Temari would have glared harder.

Finally Shikamaru could take it no longer, and whilst paying for their food, turned to her and asked, "Did I do something. to offend you?"

The change on Temari's face was remarkable, although not what Shikamaru would of liked. She had a smug little smile on her face, and it was ( if possible) scarier than her glare. "No, Shikamaru, you have done nothing to offend me."  
Her answer made him gulp a little. For whatever reason, Shikamaru knew that Temari was lying and it was just creeping him out.

"Then why were you glaring at me so intensely?"

"Oh, no reason," Temari said, turning in her seat and propping her arm on the table. "I just didn't give you permission to hold my hand."

Shikamaru looked at her a moment longer before slowly standing up. Surprise was written on Temari's face. "What are you doing?"

Shikamaru chuckled at Temari's change in attitude. "Are you ready to go? I have to show you around Konoha." Clearly Shikamaru wasn't going to remark on holding Temari's hand.

Temari scowled, but stood up. "Someday I'm going to find out what goes on in that head of yours."

"You don't want to know what goes on in my head," Shikamaru said simply. And it was true. There were few people who could bear the burden of having such ingenious thoughts, and, quite frankly, Shikamaru would feel sorry if someone did in fact have such powers as to look into his mind.

Apparently Temari misread his statement, and immediately brought her lip up in a sneer. Shikamaru looked at her, puzzled, before tilting his head towards the street, indicating they should start walking. Temari momentarily forgot about his 'perverted' mind and reached out to him. She grabbed his sleeve and said, "I wish to be escorted properly."  
Shikamaru sighed and offered her his arm, of which she linked her own through. And they set off, a small grin tugging on each of their lips.

Unknown to them, a small flash went off and a hidden entity snickered with delight.

------

"So, what? Your village is all good and caring?" Temari questioned him, tilting her head to the side with a look of disgust on her face.

".. You are _so _troublesome," Shikamaru grumbled, lifting his head up and looking at the sky. For the past hour, Temari and he had been talking about Konoha's past wars and recent alliances with villages. Temari had started to get all pissy when Shikamaru mentioned that Suna was an example of the less friendly villages of Konoha's alliances.

"And I suppose my brother is bad too, ne? For being the kage of this 'less friendly' village?" Temari was still going strong.

"No, I'm just saying that-" He was cut off by Temari's bickering.

"You think that _I _am worthless because I come from a village that's _'inferior' _to yours? Is that what you think?"

"Woman, give it a rest! Your voice is making my head hurt!"

Temari narrowed her eyes at him then crossed her arms and leaned back heavily against the bench they were sitting on. "You're such an ass," she murmured.

Shikamaru sighed. Temari could start biting his head of for no visible reason. But, then again, he suppose he _did _deserve her yelling at him, seeing as how he apparently did something totally wrong by _holding her hand!_ And, to make matters worse, Shikamaru didn't even know _why_ he held her hand earlier! His genius should have been kicking in a few hours earlier, but he reasoned his strange behavior was his teenage hormones. His mom _had _always warned him about them.

He chanced a glance over at Temari and saw she had a semi-pleasant look on her face as she peered up towards the heavens. He wondered what she was staring at before he looked up as well and saw the big, fluffy, white clouds floating lazily across the sky. He thought her sudden interest in the clouds funny, as Temari of the Sand had always yelled at him for being completely lazy at the time.

"Funny how things happen," Shikamaru muttered suddenly, surprising Temari from her cloud watching. She looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Yeah?"

"It seems my idleness is contagious."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Temari looked ready to backhand Shikamaru into next year. Of course, she could always use that giant, metal fan of hers.

He shrugged slowly, first lifting one shoulder and then the other. "Do you enjoy watching clouds?"

She eyed him carefully, wondering if she was falling into a trap, before deciding Shikamaru was too lazy to create a trap. But he did have the brains. "I like watching the stars better."

When Shikamaru didn't answer, Temari went on. "In the Sand, the sky is always clear. We hardly get any rain. So, naturally, at night the stars are very bright and visible."

For some reason, a silence followed her words. The silence was heavy and uncomfortable; it reminded Shikamaru of fog. He glanced to his side to see Temari staring across the dirt-paved road with a blank look on her face. He looked across as well but didn't see anything to stare at.

"Temari?"

She sighed before turning to look at him. "I'm going back to my embassy house. I'm tired."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows but didn't object. Temari looked tired. He didn't want to question about her sudden fatigue, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was bothering her. So, as Temari was standing up, Shikamaru reached out to grab her arm.

Temari tilted her head to the side and looked down at him with a serene expression. She blinked owlishly before smiling slightly. "What?"

"Are you..okay?"

"Yes. " A simple answer, nothing more.

Shikamaru didn't quite believe her. "You sure?"

"Yes."

"I mean, you looked -"

"I'm just sleepy, that's all."

Shikamaru nodded absentmindedly. He still didn't believe her. "Well..this is troublesome, but.." His sentence wandered before he started talking again. "If you want to talk, I'm here."

Temari's lips were twitching as if she was keeping back a smile. "I don't need to talk." She glanced where Shikamaru's hand was still grasping her hand. Shikamaru followed her gaze and quickly drew back his hand, blushing a bit.

"I do need an escort, though," Temari said faintly. Shikamaru almost smiled- almost. He stood up and took her hand.

The two ninja walked.

------

"Hehehe!"

"Hn."

"My plan is diabolical!"

"Hn."

"I totally rock."

"Hn."

"Shino, could you stop saying 'hn'? It makes me feel smart," said Kiba, frowning slightly as he walked down the street, a camera in one of his hands. Beside him, Akamaru barked an agreement.

Shino sighed ever so slightly. His friend's intrusive nature made him think he should have stuck to collecting bugs, instead of taking pictures of potential love scenes between the foreign woman from Sunagakure and Konohagakure's own genius . "Hn," he murmured again, just to get a rise out of Kiba.

"Never the mind! Tomorrow we shall have proof to the world that Shikamaru and Temari are an item!" shouted Kiba as he struck a dramatic pose and pointed ahead of him at a photograph shop. "Onward!" He ran towards the shop, leaving Shino behind to utter a faint, ' Hn'.


	4. Chapter 4

**I have recently decided I love Tobi. **

**Mmk? Irrelevent, hm?**

**Edit: I fixed this chapter up a bit, mostly with quoation errors. I might have changed some words around but overall it's the same chapter as before.**

* * *

Temari of the Sand opened her eyes and decided that she was sick.

She _had_ to be sick. Her face was flushed, her heart was beating fast, and there were cold drops of sweat running down her face. The only interesting thing, though, was that she didn't _feel_ sick. Not exactly. Maybe a little dazed. Maybe a little warm. Nothing serious, she decided finally after looking into her bathroom mirror after splashing cold water on her face.

But as she remembered her dream, she had to sit down on the floor to avoid crashing into the sink.

"Holy hell..." Temari murmured, rolling her eyes heavenwards and, for some reason, blushing. "That damn Nara. Invading my dreams."

She gulped, thanking Kami that no one (well, at least no one she could think of) could read her mind. The dream she experienced was rather...vivid. She gulped, remembering the bare skin and disheveled sheets in her dream, where Shikamaru and she were…

"Ah!" Temari stood up suddenly as she heard a knocking sound on her door. She ran a hand across her face before walking to the door. She opened it quickly and narrowed her eyes as sunlight poured in.

"Well, this is a change."

She gasped, taking in the sight of Shikamaru, shoulders slouched and a lazy but surprised expression on his face. "What-What are you doing here?"

Now Shikamaru looked a little worried. He reached for a pocket in his vest, but put his hand back by his side. Temari now looked puzzled. "I'm supposed to escort you. Remember?"

Temari's expression changes into a look of surprise. "Oh."  
"Are you okay? You're not even dressed."

Temari could feel her cheeks burning. She looked down at herself to see she was wearing a very loose (and very exposing) nightgown kimono. "You pervert!" She slammed the door in his face and marched into her bedroom to change.

-----

She opened the door again, and found Shikamaru had been leaning against it. She moved aside as Shikamaru fell gracelessly to the ground. Snickering, she stepped over him and out the door.

Shikamaru grumbled and stood up. He shut the door behind him, and Temari could see his face was red. She raised her eyebrows in a questioning matter, but he only shrugged. She turned around and started walking.

It was only a matter of minutes before she remembered her dream. Of course, how could she _not_ remember it? The dream was so...real. And frightening. _Yes, very frightening_, she decided. _That was Shikamaru I saw naked! _She let out a nervous laugh and instantly shut up as she saw Shikamaru raise his eyebrows at her. She blushed and looked down at her feet.

During the silence that enveloped them, Temari couldn't help but wonder if the dream she had was stirred up from her emotions. It was true Temari was close to Shikamaru. Maybe not as close as she would of secretly liked, but close enough. Maybe spending all that time with him was bad for her dreams. Bad for her health. She wondered if Shikamaru was in a similar situation.

And, slowly but surely, a devious smile crossed her face.

"Oi, Lazy-Ass?"

"Hm?" He glanced at her and instantly his thoughts of a semi-normal day were vanquished. The look on Temari's face was one of a she-devil. "What are you planning?" he whined, stopping in his tracks.

Instantly the smile on Temari's face was replaced by a miserable pout. It was entirely fake, of course, but Shikamaru didn't know that. "Can't I say anything without you getting suspicious?"

"Not really," mumbled Shikamaru. The pout on Temari's face was affecting Shikamaru. Immensely, Temari gathered, wondering if Shikamaru, ah, found her _desirable. _She immediately gave up her pout as she saw the look in Shikamaru's eyes. The 'look' was clearly one of desire. She almost squeaked out loud, astonished by Shikamaru's true feelings.

However, her eyes narrowed.

"Shikamaru!" Temari half-screamed.

"What!" Shikamaru widened his eyes suddenly. What happened to that (dare he think?) _sexy_ pout on the face of the Suna tigress? His conclusion was made as he gazed down at her. Ah, it was replaced by _the _look. The look that so mistakenly took control of her face every time he did something wrong. The look that could kill any brave ninja without the use of chakra or a giant fan. The look that sent her brothers away on missions for weeks, just to get away from the terror that festered inside. And more importantly, the look that turned her delicate features into (strangely enough) hideously beautiful designs.

The look of Pure Evil.

Shikamaru gulped. The only problem was this: he didn't know _what_ he did to unleash the beastly look.

Temari, however, knew. Shikamaru liked her! Or possibly, more than liked her. Of course, Temari wasn't an expert in the field of, say, love. And...why was she mad at that? Wasn't that what she wanted?

"Temari?" Shikamaru said, wondering if she was planning on killing him- and if she was, would she give him a head start to run? (Not that it mattered, of course; she specialized in long distance attacks.)

"Shikamaru."

Her voice was strangely calm. It didn't fit her attitude. Not at all. Shikamaru actually squirmed. "Tema-?"

"Oh my god, just tell her you love her, you nitwit! I swear, these two!"

Shikamaru and Temari widened their eyes, both surprised at the suddenness of a voice other then their own. Slowly, they turned to see a few too many people for their taste. The person speaking was Ino.

And, of course, Kiba was there. Holding a giant picture of Shikamaru and Temari holding hands.

Temari and Shikamaru's jaws dropped to the ground. Looking around, they saw almost everyone present (and there was a lot of people) was holding a giant picture of Shikamaru and Temari. One picture showed them sitting together, gazing into each other's faces, while still another showed them walking arm in arm.

Temari growled. She truly growled. Looking around at the cluster of people (she could make out at least ten familiar faces) she decided Shikamaru had something to do with the ridiculously embarrassing situation she was currently in. However, a glance at Shikamaru and his shocked face quickly set her thoughts straight.

_This isn't one of Shikamaru's clever plots to defeat me in anyway. This is an ambush, she_ mused in thought, taking a step back as the people around the pair grinned at them stupidly. Beside her, Shikamaru took a step with her. She turned to look at him, her own thoughts evident on the lazy genius's face.

Without warning, Shikamaru grabbed her hand and took off running. Squeals of delight were heard from the 'ShikaXTema' fan mob as Temari grudgingly ran with him. Amidst blurring pictures of the outside world around them as they ran, Temari looked at Shikamaru for a fraction of a second to see a small smile playing across his lips. He mouthed, 'just run' and she did as told, dodging trees and people on their quest to wherever Shikamaru was planning on taking her.

"Shikaaaaa…Temaaaaaa!" The mob's voices were strangely enough getting closer. Shikamaru ducked underneath a bridge, dragging Temari along with her. They leaned against the underside of the bride, panting as they heard footsteps over head. When all they heard was each other's breathing, Temari fumed.

"What the hell!?"

But she was blushing.

"Temari," said Shikamaru, glancing at her (he noticed her blushing and raised an eyebrow), "Shino had already warned us that Kiba was doing something today. Something that involved that flash we saw two days earlier. My guess is that it was a-

"Camera," Temari finished for him. She narrowed her eyes. "That mutt is going to pay." The situation was all too unreal for Temari. Who in there right minds would want to hook these two (Konoha's lazy genius and Suna's brash blonde) up? _Why _would they want to? They were polar opposites.

"Even so," Shikamaru sighed, interrupting Temari's thoughts," they planned this and they obviously have a reason."

_A rather obvious reason_, Temari couldn't help but think. She immediately scoffed at herself for thinking such things, but even so her thoughts were directed back to the dream she had. Rather obvious indeed. Why else would she have a dream of such degree about a boy? Shikamaru, nonetheless.

She sighed.

"Ah, Temari..?"

She looked up at Shikamaru. He was strangely close….

"I know why Kiba planned this," Shikamaru said.

Temari could feel her head moving in the motion of a nod, but she was staring rather hard at Shikamaru, so it was more of her acknowledging it then anything. "Me, too," she said simply.

He was _way_ too close.

"Maybe he thinks you love me." That totally broke the mood.

"Whatever!" Temari glared at him. Damn Nara, always messing with her head. She had an impulse to slap him. "I'm late for my meeting. Be an escort and escort--Wha-What are you doing?"

He kissed her on the lips.

---------

She slapped him.

-------

Then kissed him back and ran away.

-------

What the hell was she doing, exactly? Flirting with her escort. Flirting with some lazy ass.

"Flirting!?"

"Ah, are you okay, Temari-sama?"

Temari looked up; the Hokage and her assistant, Shizune, were staring at her rather intensely. She felt her self blush. "Uh, yeah," she responded, leaning down in her seat.

"The meeting is over, "said Tsunade-sama, a smug grin on her face. She petted Ton-Ton on the head absentmindedly, all the while staring at Temari.

"Oh," Temari uttered foolishly. She mentally slapped herself; she was acting like such a moron! "So...I'll just be leaving now."

"Fine with me," said Tsunade. " Oh, and if you need an escort out of Konoha tomorrow morning, then just tell Shikamaru to accompany you." She said it so casually. Temari stared at her with wide eyes.

"You didn't, by chance, _see _or possibly _hear_ anything, did you?"

The Hokage grinned. Oh, her grin was evil. She motioned Temari away, and brought a sake bottle to her mouth. "I don't kiss and tell; neither should you."

"I didn't tell!" Temari instantly slapped herself in the face.

"You just did." Tsunade grinned slyly. "You're dismissed. Spend the rest of the day chilling, though. Don't want you too tired on the walk to Suna tomorrow." She waved Temari out of the room, and Temari obliged. The door was shut in her face.

She almost wanted to cuss the Hokage out, but that would be a _very_ bad thing to do. That would be like flushing the alliance between Konoha and Suna down the drain. And, plus, Gaara would never speak to her again. She groaned, walking outside. Her life was so _complicated_. And to make matters worse, she had gone and kissed the Nara boy!

But he kissed her first.

She sighed and leaned against a wall. Why, oh why, did he kiss her? Was it true that what she concluded earlier was, well, true? Did Shikamaru really like her? Enough to kiss her?  
And did _she _like _him?_

_Love _him, possibly?

Simply _adore_ him?

"No," she told herself firmly, adjusting the fan on her back into a comfortable position. "No way in hell. No way."

Yet, even so she was blushing just thinking about him. She hoped to Kami that he was suffering just as much as her, because if he wasn't, she would kill him. Possibly revive him then kill him again.

--------

"I kissed Temari," he whispered to himself. "She kissed me back." Oh, clouds, why abandon him on such a day?

--------

The sky was overcast; there was a hint of rain in the air. Maybe a hint of storms, as Temari could feel the pressure in the air was causing faint electric charges to sizzle around her. Looking around, she could tell it wasn't _just _a chance of rain; everyone was packing up at the outdoor market, and people were running to get home in time before the rain started.

She groaned. Her embassy house was on the other side of town. She would never make it before it started raining. "I hate this place," she murmured, shivering as a burst of cold wind flew past her. She could feel a single drop of water landing on her face.Temari looked up and her vision was immediately clouded by raindrops as it started raining. She immediately cursed and leaned backwards against a wall, hoping the overhang atop it would cease the rain from falling on her. Vaguely. In fact, hardly at all. In seconds she was drenched.

Suddenly, her fan was pulled away from her. She was about to protest, but found that something peculiar had happened; she wasn't getting wet any more. She looked up to see her fan outspread and leaning against a window pane at an odd angle. She looked to the side to see Shikamaru, drenched as well.

"Shika-" she started to say, but was interrupted by Shikamaru.

"No, stop. Let me just say something." He nodded before going on. "I didn't mean to...well, you know. Something just told me it was the right thing to do. And that's all I have as a defense if you want to beat me to a bloody pulp. So, go ahead and kill me or something like that."

She grinned.

Shikamaru looked puzzled.

"I kissed you, too, Shikamaru." She figured it out, apparently. Maybe she did like that Nara. Hell, maybe she loved him. "If anything, it should be you who wants to beat me to a bloody pulp."

"Ah?" Shikamaru looked genuinely surprised. Temari couldn't blame him. The normal thing she would have done _was_ beat him up. Or come close to killing him.

But she wasn't feeling too normal that day.

"I think I might like you," Shikamaru said quickly. The rain around them halted suddenly.

"That's good to know," said Temari," because I think I might like you."

They shared a kiss.

-------

A flash, then a giggle. Of sorts.

"Shino, this is just perfect," Kiba said to his buddy.

"Hn," said Shino.


	5. Chapter 5

**Updates, grr.**

**Edit: I fixed thi chapter up a bit, mostly with quotational errors. I might have changed some words around, but over all it's the same chapter as the origional.

* * *

**

The next day, the atmosphere was -oddly enough- different between them. No longer were there threats to kill Shikamaru, nor was there the constant calling Temari 'troublesome woman'. It was sort of peaceful, in fact. Even the citizens of Konoha noticed something different in the air. Something a bit weird, actually.

"New, Hinata-chan, doesn't it feel….different today?" questioned Naruto, turning his head to the side and staring at his violet haired eating companion.

"Y-yes, it does, Naruto-kun," muttered Hinata, glancing at the people passing by outside of the ramen stall.

As it turns out, said people passing by were - in fact- Shikamaru and Temari. As said earlier, the atmosphere between them was _indeed_ different. Not only was there no name-calling or death threats, but there was also no communication. At all. Maybe a glance here and there and sometimes nodding of the head to affirm the change in direction, but that was that.

And Shikamaru didn't quite care for the odd silence. Despite how quiet he seemed on the outside, on the inside he was a flurry of activity. He couldn't believe he kissed Temari. He couldn't believe _she _kissed him. He couldn't believe they kissed each other, period. Of course, he had to believe it because it was the facts. And Shikamaru, being a man of intellectual understandings, could _never_ deny the facts. Denying the facts would be like denying Chouji access to his favorite bag of chips; the results would be disastrous.

And he really didn't need more disaster in his life.

But now arises the question of _why_ they kissed. Of course Shikamaru knew that; they liked each other, possibly even loved. But did kissing her bring upon him a relationship? Were they (dare he think?) _dating?_ As in, he was her boyfriend, and she was his girlfriend?

He glanced at Temari and saw her face was brought up in a tight frown; a frown of concentration. He needn't bother her now; they were almost at the Konoha Gates. But shouldn't he ask her if they were… (He gulped)…_dating? _

"Temari," Shikamaru said quickly. He reached out and lightly touched her arm. "Would you like to join me for lunch before you leave?"

The movement (and the question) obviously startled Temari from her thoughts, as she stopped walking and looked at him with a face of alarm. It took her a moment to register him as, well, _him. _And then she was weighing out the pros and cons in her head (as her eyes narrowed as she looked at him). She finally said, "Okay. But that will put me off an hour and I will arrive in Suna late." Temari obviously didn't care though, as she turned around anyway.

Shikamaru mentally sighed and turned around. The both of them started heading back the way they came. He was glad Temari chose to eat lunch with him (and without a fuss, no less), so he daringly reached out and took her hand. It was an obvious effort for him (the renowned lazy genius who had no real interest in the world).

Surprisingly, Temari's reaction was considerably calm. She raised her eyebrow a little in question, but otherwise didn't bother pulling her hand away from him.

Shikamaru smiled to himself. Even if it didn't mean they were, say, dating, he was at least holding her hand. And her hand was soft and warm, so unlike his own rough, callused hands.

Temari's voice interrupted his thoughts." That pizza shop…are we going there?"

" Sure," Shikamaru answered.

"Good, because we're here." Temari dropped his hand and walked inside the small shop, stooping under the hanging cloths.  
Shikamaru looked up and saw the shop's sign. He hadn't realized he had been day dreaming. He sighed and murmured "How troublesome", before simply walking in the place and sitting down beside Temari.

He glanced at her before staring across and ordering their food. He turned back to her after a few seconds and caught her looking down at her hands with an odd look on her face.

"Temari?" he said.

"Eh?" She looked at him and smirked a little, but it couldn't hide the evident blush on her face.

"I want to know something," he said, running a hand over his head.

"Oh, really?" Her smirk disappeared.

"Yes," murmured Shikamaru. "That kiss...or, those kisses...Do they mean something?"

Temari's gaze shifted from him to her hands again. She was quiet, and that puzzled Shikamaru, as had always known her for being brash and talkative; not like some of the other kunoichi in his village, like Ino and Sakura. Her talking was actually about something other than boys or clothing.

Finally, she answered. And with a growing smirk/smile on her face as she turned to look at him." I don't know, Shikamaru. Do you want it to mean something?"

The question caught him by surprise. He must of wanted it to mean something, because, well ….he kissed her in the first place. Hadn't it been her who he had been thinking about lately? Her who had been on his mind? Why else would he think about her, much less kiss her, if it didn't _mean _something?

"I suppose- Ah, no- I know I want it to mean something." He looked her in the eye.

She stared at him just as intently." So, what are you saying?" Temari said.

"I'm saying I want to date you," Shikamaru stated boldly.

"Then those kisses did mean something," she said, her lips twitching in an attempt to cover up a smile. "Because, you are now my boyfriend."

Shikamaru simply nodded his head, feeling his cheeks redden at the sight of Temari's own nearly red face.

--------

"Write to me. Don't you dare write a few lines, either. I want paragraphs," she murmured to him, keeping her face away from the Konoha ninja who were guarding the gates. She was very close to him, almost pressing against him.

"Fine, fine." He leaned in to give her a kiss, but she slid out of his way and turned on her heel. She started walking out of the gates, and only looked back to stick her tongue out at him and grin.

He watched her retreating form and couldn't help but wonder if he had dug himself a whole to Hell in the act of falling in love with the brutal woman. But then he shrugged the thought away as a bundle of blonde appeared in his face and her lips were pressed against his. She pulled back and walked away again, her head held high in a dignified way.

Shikamaru turned around with intent to walk aimlessly around the village, in hopes of keeping that kiss fresh in his mind. He didn't know when he would see Temari again.

-------

It had been a week since Temari had left to Suna, when Shikamaru was found by Ino and Chouji and dragged off to the restaurant they always used to eat at.

Shikamaru was disgruntled and only stared listlessly at the meat cooking in front of him on the table. He did not appreciate being towed around the village as if he were luggage. He glanced up at his friends and saw the solemn looks on their faces. "What?" he said simply.

"First, we would like to apologize," Ino said quickly. Beside her, Chouji nodded vigorously. "We shouldn't of joined that fan club of Kiba's and annoyed you and Temari-san."

"Of course, this is coming from everybody (excluding Kiba himself) who harassed you and Temari during the course of her stay," Chouji added, a frown on his face.

Ino nodded her approval of Chouji's words. "The fan club has disbanded, and as far as we know, Kiba is the only member of it."

"Possibly Shino, too," said Chouji.

Ino once again nodded before saying," But even though we have quit the club, we still have some strong thoughts on the potential relationship between you and Temari."

At this point, Shikamaru lowered his head on the table. His friends' words were reassuring in the fact that no one (excluding Kiba, and possibly Shino) would bug him about Temari and him being an item.

"So we have to ask," Chouji continued, "if there _is_ something going on between you two."

Shikamaru sighed before saying, "Why should you care?" He was going to drag this out, for whatever reason.

"Well, we're your best friends. Why would we _not_ care?" Ino said in an annoyingly pitchy voice.

Shikamaru picked up his head and looked from Ino to Chouji before saying, "I'm dating her, if that's what you want to know."

He almost went deaf as Ino squealed happily. "Aw, Shikamaru, we knew you would get a girl sometime. And Temari-san is the perfect match for you! You two balance each other out so perfectly!"

Chouji grinned slyly at Shikamaru, "Way to go, Shikamaru." He nodded contently as he reached over the grill in the middle of the table to adjust the meat." You got yourself a nice girl."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes slightly before glancing down at his empty plate. "Guys, just don't tell anyone. Especially Kiba."

He thought for a moment before saying, "No, especially my mother."

Ino and Chouji shared looks and both agreed not to blabber.

--------

Nara Yoshino dropped a key into her son's hand. Shikamaru looked blankly at the key for a moment before looking up at the smiling faces of his parents. "What's this for?" he questioned, running his hand over the cold texture.

"Your new house, of course," answered his father, Nara Shikaku.

"Oh, well that's…" Shikamaru stopped his sentence and groaned. "My_ new house_?"

"Stop complaining, young man," said Yoshino, her smile being replaced by a frown.

Shikamaru sighed and held the key up to the light. "I don't want a house of my own."

"You're seventeen years old, Shikamaru. You are way too old to still be living with your parents. And, besides, you wont be moving far. Your house is still in the Nara section of the village," said Shikaku.

"And since it would have been _too troublesome _for you to pack and move your belongings yourself, we have already taking the liberty to move them into your house ourselves," said Yoshino.

Shikamaru sighed, nonetheless. That meant he would have to leave his house, like…then.

"So, we are officially kicking you out of the house," said Shikaku. He then took Shikamaru by his arm and led him out of the front door. "Visit us sometime."

"And remember to buy new underwear soon," added Yoshino, before shutting the door in her son's face.

-----------

Shikamaru slid the key into the lock, and turned the doorknob. He opened the door, and stepped into a house that looked as if it had been scrubbed on for hours, as it was so clean it almost blinded him. He sighed and slipped off his shoes before stepping into the hallway and turning to a right, where a kitchen greeted him. He looked down on a table and saw there was a few letters stacked there. Beside them was a note. Shikamaru curiously picked up the note.

He read it out loud. "_Shikamaru, I went ahead and brought you your mail. I hope you will keep track of which letters are meant to keep, and which are not. Don't throw away important legal_-"

At that point, he crumpled it into a tiny ball and threw it over his shoulder. His mother was _way_ too invasive. He glanced down at the mail and saw an envelope with curvy handwriting scrawled across the front. He had never seen any handwriting like that before. He picked it up and slit the opening, pulling out a sheet of paper. He was surprised to see a desert lily printed on it.

_I went ahead and mailed you, as I figured you would have been too lazy to get off your ass and write me. _

The first line told him who had written him. Shikamaru leaned against the counter and continued reading Temari's letter.

_Gaara-sama informed me that I wont be traveling back to Konoha until next month. We will be conducting plans for the Chuunin exams, remember? Of course you do…. Eh, now that I think about it, I really don't have anything to say to you. I guess I just wanted to contact you. Maybe I miss you a little. Damn you, Nara. How dare you make me _think_ about you…. Yes, that is all._

_Lovingly yours,_

_Temari_

And it ended there. Something about the ending sounded sarcastic. He couldn't imagine Temari saying 'lovingly_ yours'. _Shikamaru scoffed and put the letter back on the table, then turned and walked out of the kitchen.

He walked up a short flight of stairs and found himself in another hallway. He rolled his eyes, wondering if he was going to get lost in this new house of his, and made his way to what seemed like his bedroom. He opened the door and found a few suitcases on a big bed. "Well, they could of at least put my clothes way..." murmured Shikamaru, as he strode into the room.

He stared at the suitcases for a moment before knocking them on the floor. He needn't worry about them now…He was tired, and would rather of go to sleep.

So, he crawled into his bed and tucked the covers up around his chin.

------

Two hours later, he was still awake. It was twilight outside, and he could hear birds chirping their goodnights to each other. The sound was too pleasant to listen to; he didn't want to shut it out by falling asleep. Nevertheless, his eyelids drooped. His mind was still wide awake, though. He didn't want to shut down his mind, and thence shut down his hearing. The birds were to lovely to not listen to.

Lovely like Temari, he pondered. Not fantastically beautiful, nor horrendously ugly. Lovely. He sighed and opened his eyes, looking across the room at the shadows stretching on the floor. It was annoying having to be so far away from Temari. It had always been annoying, even before he loved her. Before, it was annoying knowing that she was so far away, and still teasing him in her own way. Now, it was annoying in the way that it was just too quiet around without her nearby.

His mind was jumbled, and he reasoned it was because he was sleepy. He decided to eat, for that would keep him awake. He slid out of his bed and made his way to the kitchen, where he fumbled around in cabinets for awhile until he found a kettle and some tea leaves. He situated the kettle on the stove, then commenced in putting together a small meal of noodles and some weird looking vegetable he found in his freezer.

Shikamaru sat down and ate his first, lonely meal in his new house. He couldn't hear the birds anymore, as it was dark outside. All he could hear was the clinking of his chopsticks across his bowl, and occasionally the sounds of his sipping the tea.

Finally, he couldn't take it (whatever _it _was) and put his bowl down on the table with a loud clunk. He jumped up so fast that his chair slid backwards and fell to the floor. He found a pen and paper in a drawer and started writing a letter, leaning against the wall.

_Temari, _it read, _I love you. - Nara Shikamaru_

He sealed it and ran out the door, to deliver it to the Konoha messaging service as soon as possible.


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow. Major writers block..its like my brain went dead..hurm…well, I am sorry. I had fun with this chapter, once I got in the mood to type a lot. Yeah, my muse came back! HOOCHA! Oh, read on bottom for the new title name!**

**

* * *

**

Temari glanced down at the paperwork, agitated that she got warped into helping Gaara with it. She let out a yawn and quickly stifled it with a cough, hoping Gaara didn't hear her. Knowing him, he would of given her more paperwork merely for being tired.

Gaara looked over the top of his papers at Temari. " You can have a break if you want," he said shortly, before looking back down at his papers. Temari immediately jumped to her feet and shuffled towards the door. Just when she was about to open it, Gaara said:

"Oh, and you have a letter."

She turned to look at Gaara, who indeed was holding a letter in between his fingers. "I believe it is from a 'Nara Shikamaru'."

A look of worry ran across her face as she walked quickly towards her brother and grabbed the letter out of his hand. "Thank you, Gaara-sama." She shuffled out the door and closed it behind her.

Temari didn't hear the slight chuckle from her youngest brother.

---

"Hey, what's that?"

She turned swiftly, sending Kankurou an evil glance as she did so. "I don't think that's any of your business," she said coldly, before turning once more and opening the door to her room.

"Is that a letter? Since when did you get letters?" Kankurou questioned, walking up to her. She slammed the door shut and went to sit at a desk, where she promptly hid the letter under a pile of mission reports that she had yet to complete.

Kankurou opened the door without permission and stood in the doorway. "So, who's it from? You got a boyfriend you're not telling us about?" He had a smug look on his face.

Temari quickly turned around in her seat, grabbed the nearest mission report, and frantically started writing on it. She had to do that to hide her face, as it was a deep shade of red. She _did_ have a boyfriend she wasn't telling Gaara and Kankurou about, and quite frankly she want her brothers to find out.

"Don't be stupid," she murmured, her eyes blurring from her pen moving so fast on the paper. "It's just a letter from a friend." She mentally slapped herself for saying that; Kankurou knew she didn't have any true friends.

"Since when did you have friends?" His face was brought up in a little grin.

" Since when did I give you permission to come into my room?" she snapped back, shuffling the papers around on her desk.

Kankurou wandered over to her desk and saw the edge of the letter poking out from beneath the papers. His gaze drifted to the reports she was filling out. "You need to stop procrastinating," he said. "These missions were at least a month ago."

Temari sighed lightly, satisfied that the topic had changed. "I've been at Konoha lately; I didn't have time to fill these out." She looked up to tell him to get out of her room, then noticed a curious expression on her brother's face.

"Hey," he said suddenly, " aren't you being escorted by that Nara dude in Konoha? Like, he's your guide or something. "

"Yes," she said quickly. And then, "Why?"

He sniggered before reaching down and lifting the letter up. Temari made to stop him, but he held it behind his back. She jumped up from her seat and glared at him. "Give it back," she said, wondering herself if Shikamaru had written anything..personal.

"Is this letter from Shikamaru-san?"

She realized that if she said it wasn't from Shikamaru, than Kankurou would look down at the letter to see whom it was from. She thought quickly about the whole situation, then decided that since Shikamaru was so lazy, he would probably only write a line or two. And since he is so unmotivated and such, he would only write about the weather or something along those lines. She said, "Yes. What's it to you?"

"Oh, you know." He took a few steps to the side and was surprised when Temari didn't reach out to strangle him or something. "Why is he mailing you?"

"I told you, he's a friend," she said. "Isn't it natural for friends to mail each other?"

"Are you sure he isn't your _boy_friend?" said Kankurou in an annoying voice.

She glanced at the letter in his hand and then said, "I'm pretty sure."

"So if I open up this letter, I wouldn't find even the smallest hint that you are currently dating Nara?" He teasingly tore the letter's seal open.

"That's right." When Temari made no move to maim/decapitate/kill him, Kankurou tore the letter open and started reading it.

Temari grinned to herself, sure that there would be no evidence of a potential relationship between her and Shikamaru.

But then she looked at Kankurou's face. An expression of confusion was on his face. And then a slight grin was forming until it turned to all-out laughter.

"What did he write?!" She practically shrieked, lunging towards him to rip the letter out of his hand. However, he pulled his hand out of reach.

"Sure, Temari," he said after a moment of laughing. "Sure he isn't your boyfriend." He started laughing again.

She groaned, "Tell me, what did he write?" She leaned forward again to take the letter out of his hand, but he backed away again. Now she was getting angry. "Kankurou, give me the letter."

He stuck his tongue out annoyingly, like a little child. That aggravated Temari even more. She suddenly sprung forward, annoyed by her brother's teasing. Kankurou skidded out of her way and ran into the hall, where she ran after him, slipping on the bare floor in her sock feet. She gained her balance and went after him.

He went down the stairs and across the hallway to the doorway leading towards outside. "Kankurou!" she yelled angrily, "Stop acting like a kid!"

His response was an annoying laugh. If her letter had not been captured by her brother, than Temari might be enjoying this little chase. However, she was seeing red and really wanted to kill her brother at the moment.

He opened the door and made to run out but was stopped in his tracks. Gaara walked into the house. "What are you doing?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. Kankurou grinned sheepishly and glanced at Temari, who was glaring at him.

"Um..nothing?"

"He stole my letter," she said simply. Kankurou groaned then looked at Gaara. Gaara nodded, and Kankurou gave the letter back to Temari.

"Thank you," Temari growled and walked back to her room, shutting the door behind her with a satisfying slam.

"Damn Kankurou," she grumbled, walking to her bed and falling onto it. She peered at the letter in her hand and sighed. "What the hell is this about?"

Carefully she smoothed the letter down with her fingers, feeling the creases in the paper where Kankurou had held it. She took a breath and looked down at the writing. "'_Temari, I love you,_'" she read. She blinked, wondering if she read that right. "I love you?"

_I love you._

_I love you._

_I love you._

"Nara," she hissed out. "You do not love me. We just started dating, you fool." Opposite to her words, her face was bright red.

--------------------------

"Achoo!"

"Eh, Shikamaru? Are you okay?" Chouji peered at his friend from the other side of the table. Currently, Ino and he were visiting Shikamaru, drinking tea. They came by earlier claiming they wanted to check out his new house and positively oohing and ahhing over every little thing.

Shikamaru yawned, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah," he said.

"Ooh, someone must be talking about you behind your back," said Ino in an annoying voice. "It must be Temari, talking about what a great boyfriend you are."

Chouji and Shikamaru snickered. "Temari? Saying that?" Shikamaru said. "Nah, she might be plotting to kill me or something."

------------------------

"I'm going to kill you, Nara." Temari wrote furiously on a piece of paper, talking out loud. "We're just dating, that doesn't mean we love each other."

She looked at the finished product and sighed, before tearing it in half. "Or maybe it does."

She took out a clean sheet of paper, cringing at what she was about to do. "I must be going crazy…dating a younger man, and then telling him…" She paused, putting the pen to the paper and starting to write. "Telling him…" She ended the letter with a flourish. "Telling him I love him…"

------------------

**Two Days Later**

"Hey, Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru groaned. Hearing Kiba's voice that early in the morning was not a good sign. He turned around on his path to home and stared at Kiba and Akamaru as they came up to him. "What do you want, Kiba? I just got back from a mission and I just want to go to sleep."

Kiba grinned. "Hey, man, no hard feelings about the fan club, yeah?"

"Sure, whatever," he said, envisioning a welcoming bed and what the pillow would feel like against his head. "What do you want?"

"Well…" Kiba looked to his right, and then to his left. "I just wanted confirmation."

"Confirmation?"

"About you and Temari.."

"Oh, yeah." Shikamaru paused, then looked over Kiba's shoulder. "Are you still running that fan club?"  
"Answer the question, Nara," Kiba said, looking suspicious.

"If I am going to tell you anything, first I want to know that you aren't going to go crazy with any news and spread false rumors to the whole of Konoha."

"Me? Never! Why would I do that? Come on, Shikamaru , I just want to know. I don't mean any harm, just curious is all I am."

Shikamaru sighed, wondering if he would regret telling Kiba anything. "Yeah, Temari and I are..dating. But it's not a big deal." He looked up at the sky, watching a cloud drift by. "Why would you care if you aren't running that fan club…" He paused, noticing that Kiba had disappeared. "..anymore," he said to himself.

He shrugged and walked away, hoping to Kami Kiba wasn't planning something stupid.

---------

"Shino, I have the perfect plan!" Kiba shouted into Shino's face as his buggy friend opened the door of his apartment. Shino looked at him through his sunglasses, wondering if Kiba went insane or something..but then he remembered that his friend already was insane.

Kiba walked past Shino into the apartment, grinning evilly. "Invite yourself in," murmured Shino, looking in distaste as Akamaru and Kiba trailed mud into his house. He closed the door behind Akamaru, and followed them into the kitchen where Kiba was grinning wildly.

"So, we helped get Shikamaru and Temari together, right?" said Kiba, reaching into the refrigerator and grabbing a drink.

"No, I think they got together on their own.." Shino glared at Kiba as he gulped down his last can of Shinobi Soda.

"So, why not break them up?" Kiba finished the can and threw it over his shoulder, where it landed on a counter.

"Why would we do that?" asked Shino, walking calmly over to the counter and disposing of the can.

"Just for the hell of it! I mean, now that we got them together, we don't have anything to do!" Kiba leaned against the table, nodding to himself. "Besides, Shikamaru is getting too cocky now that he has a girl."

"I don't think that's a good idea…." Shino envisioned a violent Temari going on a rampage across Konoha after losing her boyfriend.

"I think it's a perfect idea!" Kiba leaned across the table to snatch a few cookies from a plate. "Well, I'm going to think about what kind of actions to take. I'll talk to you when I think of something. Thanks for inviting me over!" Kiba left the house with Akamaru at his trail.

"I did not invite you over…"

--------

Shikamaru woke up a few hours later, hearing someone knocking at his door. He groaned, hoping it wasn't Kiba again, but nevertheless got up and walked to the door.

He opened the door and was met with Konohamaru. "Shikamaru! My team got a mission to deliver the mail today!"  
"Oh, hey Konohamaru." Shikamaru yawned slightly, leaning against the door. "So, I heard you're going to participate in this year's Chuunin Exams."  
Konohamaru grinned. "Yup, this year I'm going to become a Chuunin! Believe it!" Shikamaru mentally rolled his eyes; Konohamaru was just like a miniature Naruto.

"Well, do I have any mail?"

"Oh, yeah! Almost forgot! Here you go!" Konohamaru handed him a single letter, before waving and running off to join his teammates. Shikamaru waved to his back and walked inside, dumping the letter on his table and sitting down on a chair. He glanced at the clock and saw it was noon. "Guess I better make some food.."

He got up and prepared some food, then sat down again. He was about to start eating, when he noticed the letter he had abandoned on the table. "Hey, it's from Temari," he said out loud, reaching to get it and remembering the last letter he sent to her.

"Oh, no, she's probably going to kill me.." He read the letter.

_I love you, too. Happy, Nara?_

Happy? Of course he was happy. He didn't expect a response like that. Suddenly, he felt too restless to sit around in his house all day. "Maybe I'll go to the ramen stand instead." He strode out of the house, with an uncharacteristic grin on his face. He liked this dating thing. He liked it a lot.

* * *

**Eh, the ending of this chapter wasn't so great, and it was shorter than usual, BUT I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!**

**SO! ONTO BUISNESS!**

**The new title will be Pizza, Love, and All Things Troublesome ! It shall appear in chapter 7! I WILL NOT BE LONG WITH UPDATING! NOW that summer is here, I'll have all the time to write. So, write I shall! I hope you forgive me for my lack of updating so long….And if you find any mistakes in this chapter, please notify me cuz I don't think I checked over it too well..**


	7. Chapter 7

**Changed the title, I'm sure you have noticed. If not, you are currently reading what was Before the Pizza, but now is Pizza, Love, and all Things Troublesome.**

**(summer's got to my head; i apologize for the shortness)**

* * *

"Hey, Hinata, isn't that Shikamaru? He looks different." Naruto squinted at Shikamaru as he sat down next to him in the Ichiraku ramen stand.

"He does," said Hinata, breaking her chopsticks apart gracefully and looking inquisitively at Shikamaru.

"Oi, Shikamaru!" Naruto tapped Shikamaru on the shoulder and he turned around. "What's up with- oh my Kami, you're smiling!!!"

"It's a nice day, don't you think?" murmured Shikamaru, leaning his arm on the table and leaning on it. His eyes looked dazed and quite frankly it scared Naruto.

"Are you sick or something? Do you need to see Granny Tsunade?"

"You know, you and Hinata would make a good couple," Shikamaru remarked.

"Huh?" Naruto glanced at Hinata who was blushing a deep red. He looked at her a few seconds before smiling, and turning his head back to Shikamaru. "Didn't you know, Hinata and I are going out!" he said loudly, smiling so hard his eyes were shut.

Shikamaru smirked. "I always knew you had it in ya, Naruto." He patted Naruto on the shoulder then stood up. "Well, I'm off. See you." With that said, Shikamaru walked out of the stand, on his way to greet whomever landed in his path.

-------------

**Meanwhile:**

"Shino!!! Open the door!!!" Kiba knocked furiously on Shino's front door, holding in his hands a few pictures. "Hey! I've come up with a plan!!!"

Inside, Shino was wondering if he should send a whole swarm of bugs up Kiba's nose and kill him, but decided the court papers would be too much. He reluctantly opened the door and, as usual, his friend barged in, unaware that Shino was thinking of ways to kill him without being suspected.

"So, Shino, the perfect plan," he said simply, walking into Shino's bedroom where a computer stood in the corner. He turned it on and waited eagerly for it to come on.

"You're still hung up on that thing?" Shino said, leaning in the doorway, glaring daggers, and wondering why Kiba hadn't just opened the door and walked in instead of pounding his door to death. It seemed as though Kiba thought he owned the place, anyway.

"Well, duh. Have you seen Shikamaru lately?" Kiba strode over to a window and opened it to show Shikamaru walking past, smiling hugely at whoever he saw and humming a wordless tune. "He's completely OOC! That's _sooo_ bad for the storyline."

"We haven't even reached this point in the series," Shino said, watching as Kiba walked back to the computer and hit a few keys. The Inuzuka put the pictures in the scanner.

"Well, it will mess up _future _storylines." He said, swiftly hitting some keys then grinning as the finished products printed out. "Photoshop did them good," Kiba murmured holding a picture of Temari holding hands with another guy. The second picture showed Shikamaru kissing another girl under a bridge.

"I figured Temari would get the worst shock out of this," said Kiba, smiling broadly.

"What exactly are you planning to do with those?" Shino was, once again, envisioning Temari on a rampage. This time she was holding bug spray.

"Oh, you know, ruin a relationship. I think I'll mail Temari's first." Kiba snickered before jumping up. He clapped Shino on the shoulder and walked off, out the door. "Until next time, buddy."

Shino dusted off his shoulder, offended.

------

Later in Suna, Temari was wondering if Shikamaru had gotten her letter. She could only hope he didn't freak out and turn OOC. She grimaced, looking across the table at her brother, Kazekage Gaara, who was picking at the food in his plate. Kankurou was shoving his whole plate down his throat (at least, that's what it looked like) and Temari could only hope he would choke after hearing all his complaining about the taste.

Kankurou belched loudly and set his fork and knife down. "You know, that sure tasted a lot like burnt rubber," he mused, before sipping his tea. Gaara looked terrified at the thought and immediately set down his utensils.

"I think I'm going to eat out tonight." He promptly left the kitchen.

Temari immediately turned her head to glare at her brother. "Look what you did! That was the first time he sat down at the table with us."

"Oh, well. He didn't want the food anyway, it tasted weird. Hey, can I eat his?" He didn't wait for an answer, but instead pulled Gaara's plate towards him.

Temari felt like strangling her brother, but she didn't have any insurance on him and it would all be a waste. Except, of course, that he would be dead and that would be an advantage. "If you complain so much, you shouldn't of eaten it."

"So, Temari, my sister," Kankurou said at last, putting down his plate. He looked up with an arrogant look. "How's your boyfriend doing? Hasn't already run off with another woman, has he?"

A growl emitted from Temari.

"I've noticed he hasn't mailed you back yet. Probably just forgot about you."

She actually thought about murdering him in cold blood.

"I wouldn't blame him, though, there are plenty of prettier girls than you."

She jumped up and ran at him, at which point he screamed like a little girl and ran.

"You're dead, Kankurou!"

----

A few days later, Konoha was in danger! But from whom?

"Shikamaru!" yelled Ino, sticking her head out the flower shop and throwing a potted plant at his head. "Stop acting like a love struck goon! You've been walking around the village now for two days with that same stupid smile on your face!"

"She is right, oh youthful friend of mine!" The exuberant Rock Lee stood nearby, with passion-filled eyes, watching Shikamaru check himself for brain damage. "Although you are youthfully displaying your youthful love-struck OOC side, it is ever so annoying! And not as youthful as one might thought!" he said. "Although I said it's youthful but it's not so.." Lee walked away, confusion across his face.

"Ah, Ino," said Shikamaru, "You're just jealous 'cause I have a girlfriend and you don't." He smiled smugly.

"Uh…" Ino sweat dropped. "I don't want a girlfriend."  
"Oh, did I say girlfriend?" said Shikamaru, tilting his head in a confused manner. His smile appeared again as he said, "No matter!" and walked away, leaving Ino fuming in the doorway.

"That Shikamaru..I swear, he's acting like some fan-n00b of the ShikaXTema pairing rewrote his personality," she grumbled, walking back into the shop while Shikamaru wandered upon an old acquaintance.

"Ah, Kurenai-Sensei!" Shikamaru said, walking over to her and her 2 year old son, Azusa. "How have you been?"

Kurenai smiled softly. "Oh you know.." She strayed off before saying, "You seem to be slightly more cheerful than usual."

"Well, it's a beautiful week," Shikamaru said cheerfully. So cheerfully, Kurenai wondered if maybe Ino had used her signature move to trade bodies with Shikamaru.

"Well, Azusa and I have to do some shopping. See you later, Shikamaru." Kurenai pulled Azusa down the street, letting him stop only to wave to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru felt a twinge of humility tugging at the back of his mind. Why was he acting like such a retard? He pushed it away and grinned before walking back down the road.

-----------

Kiba sighted his prey. Oh, Shikamaru was in for it now. He had just sent the envelope containing the fake photo of Shikamaru and another woman to Temari, and he hoped to hear of results in a day or so. Meanwhile, Shikamaru was walking down the street, whistling without a care in the world.

Kiba grinned then side-stepped around the corner so that he was face-to-face with Shikamaru, who grinned at the sight of Kiba.

"Hello, Kiba!"

Kiba ignored the greeting and cut to the chase.

"Shikamaru, as your good friend I thought I should be the one to show you this," said Kiba seemingly sad, handing Shikamaru what looked like a piece of paper. _Oh, his bubble is going to burst_, he thought eagerly.

Shikamaru continued grinning. He took the paper and turned it over, where an image jumped out at him. Slowly his grin faded until he had a look of confusion on his face. The image was of Temari, holding the hand of another guy he didn't know. A Suna ninja, by the look of his headband.

"Wh-where did you get this?" asked Shikamaru, expecting someone to jump out and say 'PUNK-D'.

"I have correspondences in the Sand," Kiba hung his head in mock-sorrow.

"So, Temari is…?"

"Cheating on you, yes."

"Ah…well, thanks for showing me this.." Shikamaru said, not at all meeting Kiba's eye.

"Yeah, man. Sorry," Kiba said quickly, then walked away and around the corner, bursting on the inside to tell Shino of his successful plan.

Five minutes later Shikamaru was still standing, holding the picture. Suddenly, the past few days fell onto his shoulders. What had he been acting like such a fool for? He sighed and flicked the photo to the ground, where it landed lazily on the dirt. He stared down at it, feeling the weight sink down until he finally turned around, feeling foolish and betrayed. He walked over the picture, crushing it into the dirt and leaving an imprint on it.

"All good things never last," he murmured.

------------

"Junk, bill, court papers( huh looks like they're suing Gaara for decapitating a lawn gnome), junk, bill, bill, junk, _Playnin_(whoops, that's mine) " -Kankurou sheepishly hid the magazine behind his back-" and junk. Ooh, wait." Kankurou peered down at the envelope on top of the stack of mail. "Temari? Who'd want to mail Temari?"

"What?" Temari looked up from her breakfast.

"Oh, um..I said..calamari! You know, that shark kind of food. Free samples for signing up to _Cooking With Ninja_,"Kankurou ultimately fibbed, sliding the envelope behind the July issue of _Playnin. _

Temari narrowed her eyes. "Calamari is squid, you imbecile."

"Oh, yeah, same difference," he nervously laughed, while Gaara watched on the pair's daily argument with an amused expression.

"I seem to recall that you are highly allergic to squid and don't at all enjoy cooking," Temari said, placing her fork down on the table with malicious intent in her eyes.

"Ah, well, you know..some people grow immune to it. And who ever said I don't like cooking?" Kankurou slid the magazine and the envelope into the back of his shirt.

"You did. You say the kitchen is a 'woman's place' and cooking would 'harm' your (already pansy-like) 'reputation'." She stood up, hands on hips, while Kankurou slid out of his chair and stood up in one quick motion.

"Well, what do you know; noon already!" Kankurou said, inching his way towards the door with his front toward the kitchen. "_Really_ important mission, I totally forgot about it."

"Kankurou, you don't have any missions today," chimed in Gaara.

"Uh, a meeting-"

"No meetings today."

"Well, then, I have a date-"

"No girlfriends."

Kankurou glared at his brother. "Butt out, okay?"

Gaara stared at Kankurou for a second before he said slowly and with growing evil in his eyes, "Temari, you have my permission to beat him up."

Temari grinned whiled Kankurou gulped, hoping to sprint to the door. Too late; Temari had him flat on his stomach and in a wrestler's hold that involved much strain on the neck (a/n: ripping it backwards)in less than a second. She tugged at his head for a while before Gaara said without emotion, "Just don't rip off his head like you almost did last time."

She obliged, letting his head go. His face slammed onto the kitchen floor and Temari removed the items from Kankurou's shirt, throwing the magazine into the trash with disgust. She gave Kankurou one last kick in the side before stomping out of the room.

"Nice going, fat ass," Gaara said.

"As your older sibling, I demand you not to swear," muttered Kankurou from the floor.

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "As your Kazekage" -sand slowly made it's way towards Kankurou- "I demand you to stop talking."

Muffled screams were coming from the kitchen as Temari walked to her room, wondering what was in the package. There appeared to be no return address and only said her name and address on the front. She opened her sliding door idly with her foot and walked into her room, settling down on the bed.

She briefly wondered if it was a trap, but then thought better as enemy nins would of used a fake name instead of leaving it blank. She shrugged and slid open the seal, pulling out a sheet of paper on top of a another piece with a glossy feel to it. Confused, she read the note.

_I know how much you hate my guts and all, but I thought that you should know what is going on when you aren't around. My deepest regrets, Inuzuka Kiba._

Temari let out an aggravated huff of breath. Anything Dog-Boy sent was surely a waste of paper.

Nevertheless, she took the other sheet and looked at it. It took her a minute to comprehend that it was a picture, and even longer to understand that that was Shikamaru she was seeing, locking lips with some Konoha girl.

"Wha.."

She brought the picture even closer to her face, trying to make sense out of it.

"So.." Temari said finally, forming her hand into a fist so that the picture crumpled into a wad. Slowly she let go of the paper, watching it spring back up and fall over her relaxed hand onto the bed. "Shikamaru is cheating on me."

Disappointment was all that she felt, until a second wave of emotion hit her.

"That bastard is dead," she hissed.

* * *

**lol, Shikamaru, lay off the crack.**

**hurm, no there is no real reason why Kiba is such an intruding nitwit.**

**mistakes? inform me.**


	8. Chapter 8

**The only thing I have to say is that for some reason or another my writing style has changed. I noticed that and thought it was so out of place compared to the chapters before where humor was a great deal apart of the story. Needless to say, this chapter isn't really funny ish. It's long though…I guess, compared to the other chapters…**

**Real authors note at the bottom.

* * *

**

"Psst, Shino! Wake up!" Kiba banged against the window with open palms, trying to peer into the dark room. He had probably been at this for hours now and frankly Akamaru had fallen asleep at his feet a short while ago.

"Why are you doing that?"

Kiba jumped and turned around, before a grin covered his face. "Shino, I've been at your window for hours!" he said, walking across the yard to greet his friend.

"That's not my house," Shino said monotonously.

Kiba's face fell. "Well…that would explain the pink walls, at least." He chuckled before a mischievous grin crossed his face. "I'm going on a mission to Suna."

Shino merely stared ahead, wondering why he should be interested.

"Something about picking up a special casement of sake for the Hokage," Kiba continued as he shrugged. "Anyway, I'll be gone about a week or so."

Shino merely stood, obviously uninterested now.

Kiba noticeably sweat dropped as he realized his friend wasn't going to react in anyway. "Er…so, I just felt like I should tell you?"

"Hn," Shino 'hned', turning in place and beginning to walk away.

"Shino!" Kiba whined, following after him. "Can't you seem even the least bit interested? I stood outside a mysterious window for hours waiting for you!"

The bug-nin stopped walking, causing the dog-nin to run into him with a 'oomph'. Shino turned around to stare at him blankly. "Whatever you want, you better say it now before I leave."

Kiba sighed. "Oh, alright." He dug into his jacket and retrieved an envelope. He handed it to Shino mischievously.

Shino merely held it and peered at it disinterestedly. "Care to elaborate?"

Kiba grinned cheekily. "If you see Shikamaru give that to him. It's more pictures. Bigger kick to his ego." He briefly looked ahead to a clock tower. "Well, I trust you with that. I gotta go or I will never get to Suna on time. See-ya later, Shino!" he called as he and Akamaru trotted away.

Shino stared at his companion's retreating form as he felt the chakra beetles buzz beneath his skin. They were reacting to his anger at the dog-boy. He had finally decided that he had put up with the intruding mutt for too long. He wasn't going to help Kiba with his disgustingly stupid plans to interfere with Shikamaru and Temari's relationship. In fact, he was going to completely defy Kiba.

He tore the envelope carefully into shreds before walking away to find Shikamaru. He had a plan that frankly wasn't quite as magnificent as he told his chakra beetles. He was going to help Shikamaru and Temari get back together, or at least prevent Temari from going on a killing rampage.

----

"Feh, troublesome," he murmured to himself, staring languidly at the passing clouds above. "I always knew women were troublesome…"

He reached his hand into his pocket and withdrew a single cigarette. Normally he only smoked if he was stressed over work or was dwelling on the past (or more accurately, Asuma-sensei's death). He had a reason to smoke now, though. He had a reason to hold the cigarette between his lips and light the end with a match. He had a reason to inhale the nicotine and lay back against the grass. He had a reason to watch the smoke drift from his mouth and blow away in the wind.

And the reason was Temari. The same woman who made him happy those few days he spent with her. Honestly, he couldn't help thinking irony was a great factor in his life.

He sighed as his eyes searched the sky for an oncoming cloud to pass overhead. Floating just as lazily as he walked, a fluffy cumulus cloud made it's way across his vision. He couldn't help the smirk that played across his face. The cloud was in the shape of a giant fan that he could recall becoming familiar with his head only weeks before. Another example of irony.

He scoffed, willing himself to forget about her. Moping over some woman was not going to help him feel any better. Anyway, what had she ever done to him, besides beat him up constantly?

He rolled his eyes at his own stupidity. She had done _plenty_ for him. She had made him want to do something other than lay around watching clouds all day. She had made him want the company of a woman, a creature of the gender he so thoroughly despised. She had made him want to doubt his plans of marrying a woman not too beautiful. Above all, she had made him love. That was something to account for, wasn't it?

The genius was confused.

_----_

The picture she had received was currently torn to pieces in front of her. An hour had passed since she had first opened the envelope, and she had not moved at all. She had first contemplated the various ways she could torture Shikamaru and That Skank (as she dubbed the mysterious girl in the picture) before wondering if she should just forget about the whole incident. Really, what did it matter? Shikamaru was only a guy she had happened to kiss.

She laughed silently to herself. Only a guy she had happened to kiss? More like only a guy she happened to _love._ What was she to do?  
A knocking on a door brought her out of her thoughts. She hurriedly brushed the photo pieces under a blanket, before reaching over to her desk and grabbing a pen and a mission report. "Come in," she said distractedly, lying on her stomach with the pen and paper out in front of her, looking to all the world as if she had been busy. The sliding door opened and silent footsteps walked over to her bed. She looked up to see Gaara, arms crossed with an emotionless gaze directed at her.

"Do you want something?" she said, as if she were irritated from being interrupted.

"I would like to talk to you," he said simply. Temari raised her eyebrow, but nevertheless sat up, brushing the mission report aside and motioning for him to sit down on her bed. He did so awkwardly, not accustomed to being in his siblings' rooms.

"What is it?" she said, crossing her legs and staring at him from her corner of the bed. It was odd for Gaara to appear in her room. He had only ever been there once and that was to threaten to kill her if she ever redecorated his office again. (She couldn't help stifle a laugh at that thought; the room had been sufficiently painted an odd shade of purple and she had lined the walls with glass dolls that seemed to stare right through a person. It wasn't even her fault she did it, though. She had lost a bet to Kankurou and was forced to do it.) Normally Gaara would send someone to retrieve Kankurou or her if he wanted to talk to them.

He seemed to be struggling with what he was about to say. "I normally do not intervene over your personal affairs…but I felt that as your…brother," he said, looking away in such away that was comical, as his normal stoic expression was faltering, "I should express my concern for you."

She had sat through that with a grim expression. Normally she would have been happy that Gaara was expressing his feelings, but she _knew _what he was trying to say.

"Therefore, I would like to say that I understand you are in a bad position right now, having seen that photo." He paused to look over at her shocked expression. "Yes, I knew what was in that envelope. I check through all the mail that comes through to our residence."

She nodded, understanding, but nevertheless wary.

"I am sorry if your bond between Shikamaru has been broken," he said earnestly, his eyes lightly resting on the bed, as he was obviously too uncomfortable to look at her. "But I would wish to offer my help in… revenge." He said the last bit in a spooky whisper.

"No, Gaara. I mean, thank you for offering, but…." But what? She asked herself? Don't you want that lazy ass to suffer? She locked eyes with her brother. "But I want to do that myself," she said determinedly.

A shadow of a smile flickered on Gaara's face. "I thought as much." In one movement he had stood up and withdrawn a scroll from his pocket. "Papers for a visa. Be prepared to leave in an hour."

Temari stared at the paper in her hands as Gaara slowly walked towards the door. She looked up suddenly," Wait, Gaara," she said. He turned to face her. "Thanks, brother."

He merely nodded his head, but she could see the same flicker of a smile on his face before he closed the door behind him.

She sighed, looking down at the paper in her hands. Did she really want to go to so much trouble just to kick Shikamaru's ass?

A voice in her head concluded that she did. But there was doubt, still.

-----

Chouji found his friend laying in a field of grass with an empty pack of cigarettes by his hand. He knew what those cigarettes meant, and decided he would try to console his friend as much as possible even if he didn't know _what_ Shikamaru was depressing over. He none too quietly sat down beside the shadow nin, glancing sideways at him.

"It's dark, you know," he remarked, opening a bag of chips. The first barbeque-flavored chip disappeared in his mouth with a crunch as he laid back to look at the stars above.

Shikamaru made a noise that resembled a grunt, shifting his arms underneath his head. His gaze was directed determinedly at a patch of stars directly above his vision.

"Normally you are in bed by now," Chouji concluded after a few seconds of silence went by. He half suspected his friend to grunt again, but was surprised when Shikamaru spoke.

"She likes to look at the stars. At first I didn't understand why, even after she told me that it was because there were no clouds in Suna. I mean, clouds move, they offer you something new to look at everyday. Stars remain fixatedly in place." He paused, a relaxed look covering his face while Chouji merely looked above at a constellation, realizing 'she' meant Temari.

"But then I realized it is comforting to know that while your life as a shinobi may bring unexpected things, you can always rely on the stars to remain faithfully in place. They can not surprise you with new images." He said the last bit almost bitterly, although the same lazy look remained on his face.

Chouji truly felt sad for his friend. It was obvious something had happened between Temari and him. At the beginning of the two's relationship, Chouji had in every way possible supported them. He could have been just as crazy as Kiba had he not been faithful of Shikamaru. He never liked to see his friend in discomfort of any kind.

"Shikamaru," he began, almost afraid to continue before he gathered his courage, "Whatever happened between you and Temari-san, I honestly don't know why you're so worked up about it."

Shikamaru's response wasn't really expected. He almost shot up, turning to look at Chouji with a surprised look on his face.

"Hold on, before you say anything!" Chouji said, sitting up as well. He might have been a little confused now that his views have been voiced. Even though Shikamaru looked miserable, Chouji couldn't help thinking that there was something more going on. "I mean to say…you were only with her a few days. What did that count for?" He mentally cringed, ready for something uncharacteristic like a yelling rant from Shikamaru to ensue.

Instead, Shikamaru merely stared at his best friend, an eyebrow raised. "I would have thought my genius would have rubbed off on you by now," he said quite seriously, as though it didn't even occur to him that Chouji really wasn't known for his intelligence. "You see, Chouji," he began, a scowl forming as though he were struggling with what he was about to say. "I realized that I may have been over reacting when I opened the envelope and saw the picture of Temari and that Suna guy."

Chouji raised his eyebrow; so that was what this was about?

"But then I thought about it for awhile. A long while. At least four hours." He rubbed the back of his head in an embarrassed manner. "Didn't you think it was strange how odd I was acting before Temari even arrived in Konoha?"

Chouji barely nodded, perplexed at Shikamaru's behavior.

Shikamaru continued, sighing slightly. "I had been lying to myself before that. When Temari became the ambassador of Suna, I was spending a lot more time with her. A lot more time with a woman, to point out. It was odd, after spending so many years listening to Ino or my mother nag me incessantly, and Temari hardly gave me the time of day except to insult me or hit me over the head with her giant fan. Troublesome, really." A ghost of a smile appeared on his face.

"And then I realized, I actually liked having to show her around Konoha. I actually liked having to spend hours with her to fill out papers for the Chuunin exams. And then, when she arrived a week ago, I was faced with a predicament. Kiba saw me…well, he saw me 'checking her out', to say the least." An odd red tint was on his face by then.

"To shorten it up, I ended up having to take her out to lunch. And sometime between then and the fan mob attacking us, I fell in love."

Chouji looked at his friend in disbelief. Shikamaru? In love? The same ninja that constantly complained about women and how troublesome they were?

"So, Chouji, that is why I am 'so worked up about it'. Because that horribly troublesome, _scary_ woman somehow did something that made me wonder if my future was not to be the way I planned it."

An awkward silence settled over the two. Chouji was quite frankly stunned. Shikamaru…well…he was off in his own thoughts. Another few minutes passed before Shikamaru clambered to his feet.

"I know you're concerned Chouji, and thinks for looking out for me. But I'm a grown man. I can take care of this by myself." He mumbled something after that as he turned.

"What was that, Shikamaru?"

"I said I'm going to my parent's house," he said, embarrassed. "See ya later, Chouji."

Chouji chuckled at the sight of Shikamaru's retreating form. His friend was so hard to understand sometimes.

Well, most of the time.

----

Shikaku wasn't surprised to find his son at his doorstep at two in the morning. It might have been because he remembered being young and falling in love and regretting that he had ignored his parent after moving out of his house. Whatever the cause, he ushered his son in the house with an odd sort of grin. He pulled out a sake bottle, the one he reserved for nights spent gambling or playing shougi with Chouza or Inoichi. Shikamaru eyed it warily, before letting his head fall to the table. "Dad, I'm not exactly good with liquor," he claimed.

"No worries, son. You'll forget everything by the second shot." Shikaku poured both of them a shot of sake. "It'll only be the morning you'll regret."

Shikamaru didn't really care. He regretted not telling Temari that he loved her. Maybe that would have changed something.

He downed the cup, sputtering a little and asking for more before the liquor even stopped burning his throat.

-----

Something about the sound of Kankurou digging around in her traveling bag pissed her off.

"Hey fat-ass, I told you to either leave me alone or stay home. Leaving me alone includes keeping away from my bag."

He snorted but pushed the bag away from his face anyway. "Would you believe I forgot food? Because I did."

"I'm sure you did," she replied dryly, snatching the bag back.

The morning sun was casting shadows over their makeshift rest area. They were currently leaning against a gigantic sand dune near the outskirts of the Wind Country. They had covered a great distance over the night, traveling as much as a sane person would have traveled in perhaps a day. It was finally Kankurou who broke her reveries of revenge as he claimed he was hungry and needed to piss desperately.

Now, Kankurou had originally not been in the plan of traveling to Konoha to beat Shikamaru to a bloody pulp. However, Gaara had demanded he accompany Temari lest she grew too violent in Konoha and went on a rampage.

His exact words were: "I can not allow a petty relationship issue to jeopardize the peace our village had maintained between Konoha for several years."

She had wondered what happened to the Gaara who was actually offering to kill Shikamaru for her earlier.

A lizard darted past her, and her gaze followed it as it trekked noiselessly and swiftly across the seemingly ongoing horizon of sand. Her thoughts were miles away, on the lazy nin to be exact. It was ironic that after years of saving that first kiss for 'someone special', it was all wasted after only a few days of happiness.

She brought a water canteen to her lips, drinking thirstily. Wiping a hand across her sweaty forehead, she happened to look up as a cloud passed overhead. The shade was fleeting as it moved on into the vast expanse of blue sky. It reminded her of how Shikamaru sat for hours on end under the shade of clouds, wishing he could float away just as easily as them.

A twinge of…._something_ interrupted her thoughts. She knew she still cared for him, even if she was going to Konoha specifically to kick his ass. Pain was inevitable in his future, yes, but somehow she felt that bloodshed wouldn't settle it. That lazy bum stole her first kiss, along with her heart.

"Come on, fat-ass. We need to get going," she said, standing up and stretching. She hooked the bag around her fan hilt, prepared to began sprinting.

"I don't understand why we have to overexert ourselves. We can get there in no time going at normal speed," Kankurou complained as he picked up his foodless bag and placed it around his puppet scrolls.

"We're beating the clouds, Kanky. Just like I'll beat you up if you don't shut your face."

----

There were tell-tale signs of him having a hangover.

It might have been the drumming pain in his temple. It might have been his urge to roll over on bed and puke. It most certainly might have been the fact that when he opened his eyes he had four hands outstretched in front of him.

"That's the last time I drink with my dad," he murmured, even his own soft voice making him flinch. Really now…he couldn't even remember walking home. His thoughtless father probably paid a hobo to carry him home. How wonderful.

He dragged his body off the bed, and went to the bathroom where he subsequently puked his guts out into the toilet. Once _that_ business was taking care of, he dragged himself into the shower where he let the warm water trail over him for at least half an hour as he snoozed against the shower wall, still in his boxers.

Once he felt that his body was turning into a prune, he dragged himself out of the shower. Walking out of the bathroom and out his bedroom, he could hear the water droplets following him. The kitchen was bare…he only found water. Which, surprisingly enough, tasted fairly good with a handful of aspirin.

He was considering lying down on the middle of the kitchen floor in his wet pair of boxers when four distinct knocks sounded on the door. The ache in his head picked up and he rather reluctantly stood up, prepared to tell the intruding moron that he did in fact have a hangover and the knocking on the door sure as hell wasn't helping his headache.

However, opening the door, he was faced with someone he didn't expect.

"Shino?"

The nin nodded, appearing to look over Shikamaru's bedraggled state in amusement. "Shikamaru, I presume, unless it is some other ninja standing before me in Shikamaru's house wearing what I presume is Shikamaru's wet pair of boxers."

The Shikamaru merely nodded, dumbfounded. He didn't know why he was dumbfounded. Probably because he had a hang over. But something about the hood covering Shino's face made the bug-nin resembled a killer in a horror film.

"Right. I have something to tell you," Shino said after Shikamaru returned from retrieving the nearest weapon; an umbrella stand.

"You aren't still in allegiance with Kiba, are you?" Shikamaru asked, because even though he was wearing a wet pair of boxers as he held an umbrella stand over his head, he was still a genius. A genius with a hangover.

"No. I killed him."

A pause.

"Really?"

"No, but I did decide to completely defy him. Put the umbrella stand down and I'll tell you something interesting."

Shikamaru obliged, throwing it backwards and not at all wincing as it crashed a vase to the floor. "What?"  
"Your girlfriend--"

"She's not my girlfriend. She cheated on me."

"--is still your girlfriend."

Shikamaru rose his eyebrow as a weird sanity overtook him. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Those photos you received were fake. I watched Kiba forge them." Something about Shino's voice made Shikamaru actually consider what he was saying instead of running back inside to fall asleep under a warm blanket.

"So basically you are telling me I've spent the last day pondering my future for no reason?" he asked at last.

"Exactly."

"And Temari, I presume she received pictures as well?"

"Correct."

"Wow." Shikamaru suddenly realized his headahe had disappeared.

Shino stared at him a moment longer. "And it appears Temari is heading towards Konoha. She wants to act upon revenge, but I feel it is in your best interest to stop her."

Shikamaru nodded, agreeing. He had seen an angry Temari before. He was afraid that this time, she wouldn't hold back.

Something that Shino had said stopped him. "Wait, how do you know she is heading here?"

Shino replied without a pause, "I put chakra beetles on all of my acquaintances. Now, go sleep some more or that hangover will kill you before Temari does." Shino promptly turned and walked away, leaving behind a very perplexed Shikamaru.

* * *

**You were waiting for this chapter, and then you realized that it totally sucked. I FEEL YOUR PITY. But I can't return after a few months with the exact same style of writing and with the exact same train of thought. I seriously have two more chapters left. Once more, no promises on updating. I wanted this done before New Years but I lost inspiration, so obviously the chances of me updating this before New Years are slim. **


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